Redemption
by krystal lazuli
Summary: Loki faces the ultimate betrayal, retribution for his actions against Thanos. Now he faces war, war against Thanos and Katirya, who now posses all six of the Infinity Stones. Thor's hammer is gone and he has been stripped of his powers. Together, the brothers must face these enormous odds to save Asgard from annihilation. This is the fourth story in the Infinity Series.
1. Chapter 1: Conspirators

**Author's note**: _This is the fourth story in the Infinity Series (Alliance, Exile, Retribution). There is also a one-shot titled "Rage". I do suggest reading these prior to starting this story._

Chapter 1: Conspirators

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

"I _know_ she would never have done that," Sif insisted. She was seated at a table in a pub with the Warriors Three. They had just completed another of the never-ending training sessions. She was getting quite sick of it, and it finally was enough to bring forth these thoughts. She'd been bottling them up for months now. "I still just cannot believe it."

"Well, we only have what they said when they came back," Volstagg replied.

"Right, but I agree with Sif," Hogun added. "Yet, even Erik said he saw her do it."

They were discussing the events that had happened over a year ago.

"Loki is insane with rage, he swears that they are collecting an army to destroy Asgard." Fandral added his opinion to the mix.

"You think?" Sif laughed cryptically. "We only have been training non-stop since the day they returned. Thor is like a mad man, even without his hammer. He is relentless in his expectations."

"You mean _'the queen',_" Hogun gave the nickname everyone in Asgard had started to call Thor since that day. After he lost his powers, Thor followed his brother around like a lost puppy, except when he was moping in the Healers staring at Jane. Jane Foster had fallen into a coma upon their return.

Sif let out a huff of air, "Ridiculous. Totally… completely… ridiculous. Who would think Thor would act like that? He wasn't like that back when Odin stripped him of his powers and banished him to Earth. Then he acted like a man. Now, he's like… I don't know what he's like." She ended her statement in frustration, slamming her fist into the table causing their drinks to spill slightly.

"Sif, really," Hogun patted her hand. "There is nothing we can do. If Katirya truly duped all of us, was working for Thanos all along, we have to accept that fact, along with the fact that they are probably putting together an army to attack Asgard."

"IF?" Sif shot back at him. "Are you telling me you are starting to believe this?"

Hogun shrugged. "I do not know what to believe. Honestly, if they were planning to attack Asgard, one would think it would have happened by now."

"She's right," Greiwaldt was standing behind Volstagg.

"Where did you sneak up from?" Fandral demanded, looking around to make sure Thor or Loki were nowhere around.

"I did not sneak; Sean and I have been sitting over there," Greiwaldt pointed to where his brother sat. "Couldn't help but hear you. And Sif is right; Kiri would never align herself with Thanos. She hated him." He waved Sean over.

"May we join you?" Sean asked when he arrived. "I think we need to all discuss this."

Sif nodded, and the others shifted to make room for the two brothers.

"How do you know Katirya would never work with Thanos?" Fandral finally asked.

"Her mother hated Thanos, and she taught Kiri to do the same. All those years I tutored her, she would tell me tales of the monster that her father, or rather, Althanas, wanted her to marry. She asked me to teach her to be more powerful than he was so she would be able to reject him," Greiwaldt answered.

"Couldn't she have been fooling you too? I mean, she had Loki and Thor completely fooled," Volstagg asked.

"No, on that I am certain," Greiwaldt answered firmly. "She hated him, completely and absolutely. And…" he hesitated.

"And what?" Sif prompted.

"There were times when Thanos would visit with his brother. He would try to do things to that little girl that were not right. Luckily, Beythran would never leave her alone with him. She did not trust him either." Greiwaldt explained.

"So, you think I'm right then?" Sif asked.

"Yes, I do. Unfortunately, we don't know where she is. If she is still alive, she is hiding." Sean finally spoke up.

"What do you mean, 'if she is still alive'?" Hogun asked.

"No one knows what happened after Heimdall pulled them out of Niflheim. No one was there except Thanos and his thugs. They might have killed her. She had no intentions of giving him the Stones," Sean told them.

"Did she really have all six?" Fandral asked.

Sean and Greiwaldt exchanged a glance before Sean finally answered. "Yes, she did. The Time Stone was always in her possession, she had it since she was a child. I thought she had told Loki," he shrugged, "but that I'm not sure about."

"So, what do we do?" Sif asked the group. "How can we find her? And if we do find her, then what?"

"First, we need to find her. Can you ask Heimdall to search for her? Can he see her?" Hogun asked, suddenly excited about the possibility that the brothers might just be wrong. "Perhaps if we can bring her back, explain things, it might get better. I mean, things can't get much worse, can they?"

Fandral laughed. "No, they cannot. Training every day, every week, with no breaks?"

"I'll go ask Heimdall now." Sif rose to leave.

"I only hope he _can_ find her," Sean said quietly.

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor sat quietly watching Jane Foster. Every night he came here, sitting at her side, hoping she might awaken. For an instant, that day on Niflheim, it had seemed like she was back to her normal self. Then Heimdall had whisked them back to Asgard, and she had simply collapsed into a coma. Any chance to save Jane had disappeared when Katirya had sided with Thanos, and even now he wasn't so sure that Katirya could have reversed what had been done to the human.

As he thought about Niflheim and that day, he reflected upon the changes to his brother. Loki had changed, and not just emotionally, but physically. His skin was tinged blue, and his eyes glowed bright red. He clearly showed his Frost Giant ancestry now. His temper was short and he trusted no one; no one except Thor.

Thor laughed cryptically. The fact that Loki trusted him was insane; of course, many thought Loki _was_ insane now. The hammer was gone, and Thanos had used Odinforce on him somehow, and he had no powers. What use was he?

Eir entered the room.

Thor looked up. "Is it time?"

Eir nodded. "Yes, she will still be here tonight. I doubt things will change. There is nothing we can do for her, I am sorry."

Thor knew she said the same thing every morning, but he kept hoping that one day she would say they had found the answer. Rising, he left the room, heading out to the practice field.

Magda stopped him on the way, handing him breakfast. "You really should sit down and eat, my lord," she chided him.

He nodded absently, continuing to walk.

Reaching the practice field, he was pleased to note that the Warriors Three were already there. "Where is Lady Sif?"

"She needed to speak with Heimdall. She will be here shortly," Hogun replied.

Thor nodded, then began to supervise the training session.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki scowled as he looked out over Asgard. Rage consumed him. He continued to hold it in, barely, waiting for the day when _she _would attack. He couldn't even bring himself to think her name, let alone say it.

That day, when she had aligned herself with Thanos, everything went back to that day. At first, he couldn't believe that she didn't love him; then, when she boldly displayed the six stones, SIX STONES! His hands clenched the book he had been trying to read, ripping the cover. How had she found the sixth, and when? If… no, when he saw her next, he would kill her with his bare hands. She had lied to him. Pretended to be something she wasn't, making him think he was… was what? Good? Odin had told him he wasn't worthy. She had told him he wasn't worthy. He knew the people of Asgard looked askance at him now. They probably wished Thor were King.

He knew they spoke behind his back, but he didn't care. He was planning his revenge, for he knew, one day, she would return to attack.


	2. Chapter 2: Stratagems

Chapter 2: Stratagems

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif stared at her brother incredulously. "You mean you've known all along where Katirya is?" She had left the pub and gone directly to see if Heimdall could help them locate Katirya.

"Yes," Heimdall answered simply.

"So, why did you not bother to tell anyone?" Sif asked, totally dumbfounded that he had been fully aware of Katirya's movements but had said nothing.

"No one asked," Heimdall replied imperturbably, as he turned to look out at the glittering stars of the universe from his perch.

"Wow. I just cannot believe you did not say anything." Sif was trying to accept the fact her brother had known all along.

"I did not think it wise, considering the circumstances, to be advertising that I was aware of the movements of the Queen, or rather, the former Queen." Heimdall corrected his statement to reflect the changes Loki had made upon their return from Niflheim. One of his first actions had been to denounce Katirya and nullify their marriage. It had been a sad day in Asgard, as the populace had loved her.

"True, but you could have at least told me," Sif chided her brother.

"Again, you did not ask, and I was unaware of your feelings towards her. How many are in your conspiracy?" Heimdall asked.

"It is not a conspiracy," Sif retorted.

"Really?" Heimdall turned to look at his sister. "Then what would you call it? For what you are thinking of doing is against the King's wishes."

"How do you know what we are thinking of doing?" Sif retorted.

Heimdall simply looked at her.

"Well…" Sif hesitated for several seconds, "I guess you are correct. We _are_ going against Loki's wishes. But I believe he is wrong, and until I spoke out this evening at the pub, I did not realize others felt the same way."

Heimdall looked at her and sighed heavily.

"She's not with Thanos, is she?" Sif asked.

Heimdall shook his head, finally speaking. "No, she never went with him."

"I KNEW it!" Sif exclaimed. She felt vindicated in her thoughts. "I knew she would never align with him. Where is she?"

Heimdall raised one eyebrow. "I cannot tell you, at least, not until you are prepared to leave."

"You cannot tell me? Or will not? Which is it?" Sif demanded.

"I will not, if you must know. I feel it unwise to divulge that information. Someone might be able to discover it from you," Heimdall replied.

"Loki?" Sif looked at her brother, realizing he was most likely correct. The less she knew, the better. "Well, we are going to go visit her. Will you allow that?"

"The King has not closed the portal… yet," Heimdall replied.

Heimdall's cryptic response reminded her of the ceaseless training they were enduring. Loki was certain Katirya was going to attack Asgard. If he knew what they were thinking about doing, he would certainly shut down the Bifrost.

"In other words, we had best hurry." Sif nodded. "I will inform the others and we will return shortly. You will let us know then where we are going, correct?"

"Yes; however, I must warn you, she might have moved. She is able to hide her presence from me, but I am aware of at least two moves she has made," Heimdall paused, turning to look back out at the universe. "It might be an empty location I send you to. It is possible she left there, as I know she has help."

"Help?" Sif was surprised. "Who is helping her?"

"That, Katirya will have to tell you herself… _if_ you find her," Heimdall said.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki was seated on the throne when Thor entered.

"The training?" Loki asked.

"It goes well. I feel we are prepared…"

"We can _never _be fully prepared! She lived here, she knows more about Asgard than you or I do!" Loki shouted.

"Loki, calm down. She was only here a short time, there is no way she knows more about Asgard than we do," Thor shot back. "Brother, we can only do so much. Until they attack, or show up somewhere that we may attack…"

"They are hiding somewhere. Her father probably is helping as well. Are her brothers still here?" Loki tried to remember his experience with Thanos, wishing he could recall where he had been when he had been given the Tesseract. He'd tried vainly over the past year to figure out where he had fallen that day on the Bifrost. The wormhole had taken him away, but he could not figure out the path he had taken. Then he had met up with The Other and been recruited. He tried to banish the feelings from that time, focusing solely on the locations, but his efforts had been futile. He had been controlled, so perfectly controlled. Thanos had known how to do it. He could do it again, and with _her, _it was even a worse scenario. She clearly knew how to control him as well.

"Brother?" Thor looked at Loki, concern on his face.

"I am fine!" Loki spat through gritted teeth, realizing he was letting his emotions show. "They will not win this time."

"No, they will not," Thor reassured him. "We are doing everything possible to make sure of that. Perhaps Heimdall might help?"

"Do you honestly think I have not asked him already?" Loki snapped. "He claims he has no idea where they are. Can we trust him?"

"Yes, I am certain of that. He is loyal to Asgard and will not let her fall. He will die before he betrays us," Thor replied.

"And how is Jane today?" Loki changed the topic abruptly.

"The same as always," Thor replied. "The Healers say there is nothing they can do."

"Do the other mortals remain here?" Loki asked, displeasure for the humans showing on his face.

"Erik Selvig is working with our scientists. He has a plan for a shield generator that would be superior to our current one. Darcy," Thor shook his head sadly, "she stays as well."

Loki knew the news that Ian was dead had devastated the woman. She had refused to return to Earth, asking if she could remain in Asgard with Jane. He had allowed it, but there were times he regretted it, although he could not quite figure out why.

A servant entered, walking hesitantly towards the throne. "My King?"

"What is it?" Loki yelled, causing the servant to cower. "Stand up, and state your business!"

"My King, it is dinner… it is ready… if you wish," the servant stammered.

"If I wish?" Loki stared at the servant.

"Loki, enough. The man has simply come to see if we desire to eat. Do not scare him," Thor admonished Loki. "Let us go eat."

Loki nodded, and the servant stumbled in his haste to get out of the King's presence.

They entered the Great Hall, and Loki was quick to notice that the room was practically empty. What few people were present ceased talking, choosing instead to stare down at their plates, fearing to meet the gaze of the King. Loki ignored everyone, walking to his place, Thor at his side. A servant quickly brought their meals once they were seated, and they began to eat.

"Where are your friends?" Loki finally asked his brother.

Thor looked through those present in the room, noting the absence of Sif and the Warriors Three. "I know not where they are. They were at practice. Perhaps they chose to dine in the city, at a pub?"

"As did many, it appears," Loki commented on the scarcity of people present for the meal.

Thor chose not to respond.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

"He knows where she is! At least, he is pretty sure he knows," Sif told the others when she returned to the pub. "And it is _not_ with Thanos!"

"He found her? That was quick," Fandral replied.

"No, he didn't find her exactly. Heimdall said he has known all along where she has been," Sif answered.

"And he didn't tell us?" Hogun asked.

"I know, I wasn't too happy myself, but he claimed no one asked about her. Anyway, he said he will send us there. At least, the last place he knows she was at. He said someone has been helping her," Sif looked at Katirya's brothers, "do either of you have any idea who it might be?"

Sean and Greiwaldt exchanged a glance. "Our father, perhaps?" Sean finally spoke.

"Possibly," Sif acknowledged.

"So, we need to decide who is going to go visit her, right?" Hogun asked. "I want to be a part of it."

"As do I!" Fandral and Volstagg replied simultaneously.

"Don't think about leaving us out," Greiwaldt chimed in. "Sean and I are going, too; after all, she is our sister."

"Well, I'm the one who started this whole thing, so I am definitely going, but we cannot all go," Sif spoke up.

"Why not?" Hogun looked at her.

"Someone has to stay back here…"

"For what? More training exercises?" Fandral asked, fatigue tingeing his voice.

"He's right," Volstagg agreed. "And much as I enjoy training, it has been a bit excessive. If one goes, we all go. We're in this together."

Sif sighed in resignation. "Fine, we shall all go."

"I think we do need to have a plan, some reason to leave Asgard," Hogun pointed out.

"And we should have a destination, in case we are asked," Volstagg added.

"So, do we tell Thor we are leaving?" Fandral asked.

"I am not going to ask Loki, that's for sure," Sif stated emphatically. "I do not believe we should tell Thor…"

"Tell Thor what?" Thor had entered the pub. Seeing the group, he had walked over to join them.

"Thor!" Everyone at the table smiled up at him innocently.

"Tell me what?" Thor repeated his question.

Sif, realizing he had not heard the first part of her sentence, thought quickly. "We, uh, we decided to take a trip. Actually, I did."

"A trip? Where do you desire to travel?" Thor asked curiously.

"If you do not mind that is, and the King, of course. But I wanted to go back to my village, to visit a friend. Given the concern about possible attack, they offered to accompany me," she gestured to the others seated at the table.

Thor considered her request. "I do not see a problem with this. How long do you anticipate being gone?"

"A few days, at most," Sif had rapidly thought about this. "We _are_ getting worn out with the constant training. I think it would be a good idea."

"Your absence at dinner was noted by my brother," Thor commented. "I do realize he has been a hard taskmaster. I agree that a short trip would be beneficial. I shall inform him of it. Perhaps I will join you."

Sif kept her face as emotionless as possible. "That… would… be… nice," she finally replied.

"But I fear I cannot, I must remain here in case Jane awakens," Thor said.

"Oh, yes. I suppose you must," Sif quickly put in. "Well, if you are willing to allow us to go, we should probably be getting ready. The sooner we leave, the quicker we shall return."

"You have my permission. I shall inform Loki, _after _you have departed," Thor replied.

Sif looked at him with a smile, slightly relieved that Thor was willing to bear the brunt of his brother's possible anger at their trip. The fact that he was waiting until after they departed spoke volumes to her. She knew he realized that given an option, Loki might stop them, even though neither Thor nor Loki knew the true reason of their trip.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

Chapter 3: Reunion

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor watched his friends leave, then headed to the Healers for his nightly vigil. Entering the room where Jane Foster slept, he was greeted by Eir who simply shook her head, indicating there had been no change. He was fully aware that if there had been a change, she would have sent him word at once, but he always hoped.

If only Katirya had not duped them. She might have been able to use the Stones to save Jane.

He sat down next to Jane, staring at her still form. His mind was active while he sat. In an attempt to get his mind off of Katirya's betrayal, he thought about Sif. He was glad she was taking this short trip, for Loki had been driving them for months to prepare for war. A brief respite from the training would do them all good. It meant that he would be in charge tomorrow, but that did not bother him. He knew he must inform Loki of their absence, but he chose to wait until morning, knowing Loki would most likely demand that they return at once. This at least gave them some time away.

His thoughts turned to his brother. Since the betrayal, Loki had truly changed. He had always been a difficult one to read, hiding his thoughts from others, but now he was almost out of control. If he had not lost his power, Thor wondered if he would challenge Loki for the throne, as he did not think things were going very well. The people were unhappy with the constant preparations for war. And Loki's temper was unstable on the best of days. No one dared say anything against him for fear of retribution. Unfortunately, with no powers and no hammer, Thor was simply a soldier, nothing more.

He hung his head, wondering what they could have done to avoid the current situation, but could think of nothing. Katirya had truly fooled them. The only one who had not been duped lay in a coma in front of him.

A tap on his shoulder brought him out of his reverie. Eir was standing there. Had so much time passed?

"My lord. I worry about you. You need some rest. I promise I will send for you if there is any change." The healer spoke quietly.

Thor shook his head. "No, I feel I must stay. I think she knows I am here."

"Would you like a cot set up?" Eir asked.

"I am weary," Thor admitted. He was tired; perhaps a nap would not hurt.

A cot was quickly set up and soon he was sound asleep.

He was rudely awakened by a shout. "THOR!" Loki's voice bellowed.

"I am right here. What is it?" Thor sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Where are Sif and the Warriors Three? They are not on the practice field, and neither are you!" Loki glared at him.

"What time is it?" Thor ran his hand through his hair, struggling with what to tell his brother.

"Past time to be up. If you would not sit here all night, pining over that mortal, you would be more aware of what is going on." Loki scowled at Jane's body.

"Is anything any different than yesterday?" Thor asked.

"Yes, none of you are on the practice field," Loki repeated his observation.

"Well, I am here, as you obviously see. As to the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, they have gone to visit Sif's village. She had a desire to go, and they would not permit her to travel alone. I saw them last night and agreed that it would be good for them to have a break from training. We have been at it for over a year, Loki. I think we are more than ready." Thor waited for the outburst from Loki. He was not disappointed.

"You did WHAT?" Loki shouted. "You allowed them to leave? What if the attack should begin?"

"Heimdall can bring them back if need be," Thor replied. He could see his brother's temper about to take over. "Loki, really. We are ready. We have done everything we possibly can to prepare for this. Perhaps we should start considering an offensive action? Find out where they are first and attack them?"

"Do you think I have not tried?" Loki snarled.

Eir entered, giving both brothers a stern look. "My lords, please. If you must argue, take it elsewhere; it is upsetting the others here."

Loki rounded on Eir. "Do NOT think to tell me what I may or may not do!" Whirling, he stalked out of the room.

"I am sorry, Eir," Thor apologized for his brother.

"No need, he bears a heavy burden right now. I understand," Eir replied.

Thor followed his brother, catching up to him in the hallway. "Loki, we must talk. You cannot continue like this. You will destroy yourself."

Loki stopped to face his brother.

Thor noted the change in his brother's skin. The blue tinge was always most prevalent when he was angered, and right now he was clearly angry. He waited for the coming explosion, which never came.

A young lad came running into the hallway. "My King! A messenger has arrived!"

"A messenger? From whom?" Loki demanded.

"Thanos."

The two brothers exchanged a look.

"So it finally begins," Thor stated.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

The group from Asgard arrived in an open field; a road meandering off to their left. Sif looked around trying to determine where they were. Her brother had refused to tell them, saying only that they would know where they were.

Sean started laughing. "I ought to have known." His two dogs had come along with and were barking excitedly at his side. "Go ahead, girls. You know where you are, don't you?" He looked at the others. "She came to my farm… but something is… different."

"Different?" Hogun asked.

"Aye, there is strong magic at work here. Our father is clearly involved, but so is someone else. I sense none of Kiri's magic, but she is here," Greiwaldt answered.

"Heimdall did say there was another with her, but not Thanos. So who?" Fandral asked.

"Well, we will not know until we get there, will we?" Volstagg pointed out.

The party began walking down the road towards Sean's farm. The dogs raced ahead, knowing their destination. As they traveled down the drive towards the main house, they saw the dogs sitting happily on the front porch next to a woman seated in one of several rocking chairs. She rose to greet them, a smile upon her face.

"At last," the woman said, smiling at the group.

"My lady?" Fandral looked at her curiously. "You were expecting us?"

"Aye. I knew sooner or later someone would come searching. Did Taneleer send you?" she asked.

"No, Lady Sif figured it out. Her brother knew where Katirya was somehow," Hogun replied.

"Heimdall? How did…?" the woman's voice trailed off. "Never mind. It does not matter, at least you have found us."

"You know him?" Sif asked curiously.

"You will stay the night, yes?" the woman ignored Sif's question.

"I… think so. Katirya is here, correct?" Sif asked.

"She is not here at the moment. She went out riding, but she will return, unless you wish to go find her? She ought to be by the stone circle by now. She likes to end her ride there and walk home."

The group exchanged a glance, then Sif answered for them all. "We will go find her."

"Excellent, I shall make sure we have enough for supper, then catch up with you." The woman looked at Sean. "You know the way, I am sure."

Sean nodded. "Aye, know it well. Come along, girls. Let's go find Kiri!" Hearing Kiri's name, the two dogs jumped up and began dancing around his legs. "Enough, enough!" he chuckled at their antics. "Let's go… shoo! Go find Kiri!" Needing no further encouragement, the two dogs took off down the drive. They ran ahead several feet, then turned around to look at the group as if saying '_hurry up'._

They traveled down the road, heading towards the stone circle in silence. The only noise was the occasional bark from the two dogs as they continued their antics.

Greiwaldt finally broke the silence. "There is something going on here. This whole place is under an illusion. I am surprised Heimdall knew she was here, as no one can see in. And the woman, who is she?"

"Clearly one of father's friends," Sean replied. "I see his hand in this."

"Heimdall said he only saw her move twice. Once when she left Niflheim, and the second time when she left her father's place," Sif explained. Her brother had filled her in with slightly more information at least. "He did warn me she might have moved after coming here, but clearly she did not."

They reached the gate that led to the pasture where the stone circle lay. Opening it, they stepped into the pasture and headed towards the ancient monument. A chestnut horse was grazing off to one side. Katirya was seated in the stone circle, her back against the tallest stone. Her eyes were closed, and she was basking in the sun. The two dogs raced up to her, bouncing onto her lap.

"Elizabeth! Jessica! How did you find me?" Katirya laughed as the dogs started licking her face. "Enough!" She pushed them gently away, putting an arm around each one. She focused on Sif and the others. "I see you have found me. Are you here to arrest me for treason to Asgard?"

Sif paused; not having thought that might be how Katirya might view their arrival. "No, my Queen…"

"Kiri, please, for I am no queen anymore. Of that I am certain," Katirya interrupted her. "I highly doubt Loki allowed that. He most likely denounced, divorced and condemned me to Hel should he ever find me. So, do tell. Why, then, are you here, if not to arrest me?"

"Well, he did do all that," Sif admitted. "We are not permitted to even say your name."

Katirya threw her head back and laughed. "I am not surprised. I am sorry, I realize it is not a time for laughter, but…" she shrugged as she saw Sif's shocked face. "I knew how he would react, so it is no surprise to me. So, once more, why are you here?"

"I always felt you would never work with Thanos, and only recently did I find out the Warriors Three and your brothers agreed with me. Heimdall knew where you were, so we came," Sif explained.

"As simple as that? And Heimdall knew where I was? Interesting, yet he did not tell Loki," Katirya spoke quietly. "That is fascinating." She gestured to the grass beside her. "Have a seat, we can talk here easily. Ragna will be along shortly, I am certain."

"Ragna?" Sean looked at his sister curiously as he joined the others in sitting down.

"Aye, the woman you most likely met back at your house. She has been my companion this past year or so. I could not do anything without her," Katirya said.

"Yes, we did meet her. She did say she would be along shortly," Volstagg reported.

"What happened?" Sif finally asked bluntly.

Katirya's face sobered as she took a deep breath then let it out. "What happened? What did _not_ happen?" She looked off into the distance, closing her eyes. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She brushed them off, then focused on Sif. "After Heimdall took Loki and the others, Thanos and I had a _slight _disagreement. I threated to destroy the Stones if he did not release me. He had grabbed me just before they left. I had pretended to be with him, to get him to focus solely on me, which allowed Heimdall the chance he needed to get them all out. They did all survive, correct?"

"All but one," Fandral spoke quietly.

"Jane?" Katirya asked.

"No, Ian. Ian never returned. Loki said that Hadriath or Althanas had killed him before you even arrived," Hogun said.

"Ian? No, Ian is alive. He was still there. Hadriath just said he had killed him. I know Loki and I both thought he had been killed, but after everyone left, Hela brought him to where I was. She was bored… but I'm getting ahead of myself on that."

"So Ian is alive? Where?" Sif asked excitedly. "Darcy will be so happy."

"Living in Jane's apartment. More like moping there, but he waits for them," Katirya chuckled softly. "I am surprised no one bothered to look for him."

"So, what do you mean, Hela brought him to where you were. What was happening?" Sif asked.

"Thanos had put an arm around me when he thought I was with him. When he realized I had tricked him, he started to shake me, like a rag doll. I warned him I would destroy the Stones, and when he started to crush me, I did." Katirya's gaze suddenly shifted to her lap as she spoke. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before lifting her eyes back up. "I pretended to die, to protect…myself. He was not certain I was dead, even with Kyrath kicking me. So, he left Hela and Kyrath to watch over my 'body'."

Katirya closed her eyes, putting both hands to her head and wincing in pain. Letting out a deep sigh, she went on. "I had to create an illusion of myself and hide for a long time. Hela became easily bored. As I said, she brought out Ian, who had been left behind. Thanos had kept him hidden, so I guess Heimdall was not able to get him back when he took Loki and the others. I could not speak to him, only watch. Hela knew he wasn't ready for her, so she finally sent him back to Earth, then she returned to Hel. That left Kyrath to watch over me. Kyrath waited the full month that Thanos had commanded before she finally left. I was able to cease with the illusion, but was not able to move. I could only sit, and wait; hoping my message was received."

"Message?" Greiwaldt looked at her. "You didn't destroy the Stones, did you?"

"No, I sent them to our father," Katirya replied.

"Can he be trusted with them?" Sif asked.

"No, or yes. Depending on how you look at it. He doesn't need them, much the same as I. They are mere trifles in terms of power for either of us. I can trust he will not let them go, but he will most likely forget he even has them," Katirya explained.

"So, what injury did Thanos do to you?" Sif had noticed Katirya had avoided talking about that.

Katirya remained silent.

"She cannot walk very well anymore," a voice from behind them spoke up. Ragna was approaching them carrying something. "I keep telling her the healers of Asgard could fix it, but she refuses to go, even in disguise."

"Loki will know I am there," Katirya snapped. "I cannot take that chance, not yet."

"I think you can, now," Ragna replied quietly. "Here." She handed the bundle she was carrying.

Katirya smiled, as she pulled the blankets back, revealing the small infant. "Woke up, did you? Are you hungry?"

Ragna laughed. "When is he not?"

As the child nursed, the others looked at Katirya. "So you were pregnant," Sif finally said.

"Of course she was," Sean replied. "I knew that. What did you name him?"

"Kai, for now. If his father ever acknowledges him, that can change. But I honestly do not foresee that happening," Katirya replied as the infant finished nursing. She held him up. "Adorable, isn't he? Would you like to hold him?" She offered him first to Sif.

Sif accepted the baby gingerly, looking down at him. "Well, he does look like his father."

Katirya laughed. "He will argue that!"

"Might be hard to, though, as he does show his parentage quite clearly," Sif remarked. The child had the bluish tinge indicative of his Jotun blood.

**Author's Note:** _Thank you to all the loyal followers to this story. I enjoy reading your reviews and your emails. _


	4. Chapter 4: Camaraderie

Chapter 4: Camaraderie

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

"Hogun? Would you like to hold Kai?" Sif asked, holding the infant out towards the warrior.

Hogun nodded, accepting the baby.

Katirya watched as they each took turns holding her son, laughing at his baby antics. For several minutes they simply played with little Kai, who giggled and cooed until it was Volstagg's turn. Then the young child burped rather loudly. "Ah, a child after my own heart. Fill the stomach first!" Volstagg added his own hearty belch as he spoke.

Katirya finally spoke up once more. "Heimdall never told Loki of my whereabouts?" Katirya returned the conversation back to Sif's brother as Volstagg began rocking her son.

"No, he did not," Sif answered.

"I find that intriguing." Katirya considered the information before going on. "Has Thanos done anything yet?"

"No, there has been no sign of him, yet we prepare daily," Fandral replied.

"Prepare?" Katirya looked at him curiously. "I would think Asgard is well prepared already."

"One would think, but Loki disagrees. He feels war is imminent and insists we train daily. This has been a wonderful respite from the constant drills. I pity poor Thor as he shall have to take the brunt of Loki's wrath for our disappearance."

"Thor, did he retrieve his hammer?" Katirya turned the conversation to the God of Thunder.

"No, he has no clue where Thanos has taken it. Without his powers, he feels useless, but he is still a force to be reckoned with on the practice field," Sif replied.

"Thanos cannot take it anywhere. It is where he left it, on Niflheim. I am surprised he did not return to check. I saw it there, but the only one who can move it is Thor. Why did he not look?" Katirya expressed surprise that Thor had not tried to locate Mjölnir.

"It is still there?" Sif looked excited. "Perhaps his powers might return with it! But as to why he never looked, I would suppose it is because of Jane Foster."

"And the loss of his powers. Both have put him in a strange state of mind. Both brothers are not as they should be. One is on the edge of insanity, if he has not already crossed over to it, and the other is depressed. " Fandral offered his opinion. "And both prepare for war against you and Thanos."

Katirya laughed for a moment. "War with me? If they only knew... Let me see…" she put a finger to her chin and looked up into the sky. "My army consists of a squadron of sheep, an air force of chickens, a cavalry of one horse, an infantry of cows, and a royal guard of geese. Beware the geese, for they can be quite protective."

"And do not forget your general," Volstagg held up Kai as everyone began to laugh.

"Well, the hour grows late," Ragna finally spoke up. "I suggest we head back to the farmhouse for supper."

"An excellent idea!" Volstagg was quick to agree.

Katirya shifted to face the stone she had been leaning against. As she started to leverage herself up to a standing position, she suddenly felt strong arms around her waist, lifting her up easily. She turned her head once she was standing to discover Fandral had been her assistant.

"My Queen…"

"Kiri. I am no queen remember," Katirya was quick to correct him, her one hand still planted firmly against the stone, although Fandral kept his arms around her waist.

"Kiri, then. Allow us to help you. Whether you will accept it or not, you still are the Queen of Asgard, despite what has happened," Fandral spoke warmly.

Katirya looked down at the ground for a moment, overwhelmed by the kindness these people had shown her. She knew they had been told that she had betrayed Loki, Thor and Asgard, yet they had not believed it. "Thank you. It means a lot to me," she finally said.

"Why do you not ride back today rather than walking?" Ragna suggested as she collected Kai from Volstagg.

Katirya nodded her assent. She whistled, and the chestnut gelding trotted over to her. The tack was lying on the ground next to the stone. She was about to bend down to pick it up when Hogun beat her to it.

"Let me attend to it," Hogun offered. Within minutes, he had put on the saddle and bridle. Fandral lifted Katirya easily up on the horse's back, and once settled, she gathered up the reins. She was riding sidesaddle, her right leg hooked over the top of the saddle with her left leg resting easily in the stirrup. She knew they could tell from the unnatural angle the right leg rested that it was injured, but she still continued to offer no explanation beyond what Ragna had revealed.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

As the party headed back towards the farmhouse, Sif hung back to speak to Ragna. "Do you know more of what happened?" She finally asked, when she felt they were out of earshot of Katirya.

Ragna nodded. "Aye, she will not speak of it. What she has told you is all she will say. Trust me when I tell you that it was not as simple as she tells it. Thanos did not leave that confrontation unharmed. It is no surprise that he has not made a move against Asgard yet."

"So he sustained some injury as well?" Sif asked.

"Indeed, and while his injuries were not as bad as Kiri's, he is most likely licking his wounds and biding his time. He is not aware of the fact she survived, so he probably figures he does not need to rush into battle with Asgard. She was more focused on protecting her child and dealing with extremely strong emotions. Remember, she had just made Thor and Loki think she had betrayed them." Ragna shifted Kai from one arm to the other as they walked.

"But she did it to protect them, right?" Sif insisted.

"Yes, her primary goal was to get everyone out of there alive. She told me that when she when she realized that Thanos intended to torture then kill Loki and Thor, she did what she could to give Heimdall a chance to get them out of Niflheim. Then she protected her unborn child in the only way she could. By pretending to be dead, she was able to eventually escape." Ragna stopped for a moment, allowing the others to get even further ahead.

"You were the one to get her out of there, weren't you?" Sif suddenly realized this fact.

Ragna looked sharply at Sif before answering. "Yes, but how did you know that?"

"Just a guess, but it makes sense. That would be the only way you would know so much if Kiri refuses to talk about it," Sif explained.

Ragna nodded. "Aye, I was the one who brought her to Taneleer. Her injuries were almost untreatable, especially since her father's healers are not trained to deal with soldiers. Hers were wounds from a battle. I need you to help me, Sif."

"Help you? How?" Sif was suddenly curious. How could she help this woman who was clearly far more powerful than she was.

"Convince Kiri to return to Asgard. The healers there can help her. They have the training and the equipment," Ragna answered.

"Is that a good idea?" Sif was skeptical. "If Loki discovers Katirya within Asgard, he wouldn't be very happy, to put it mildly. And Thor isn't of a different mind either. He blames Katirya for Jane Foster's condition."

"Really? So Kiri is the one who took over Jane's mind?" Ragna sighed. "Is that what Thor thinks? Those two need to have some sense slapped into them."

Sif looked closely at Ragna. "My lady?"

"I am sorry; I digress," Ragan quickly returned to her topic. "I believe that between Kiri's brothers and myself, we can keep her hidden from them. She _needs _to be healed. I am certain that once she can walk properly again, her confidence will return. She has not lost any of her powers. If she had not been so concerned about getting everyone out of Niflheim alive, she would have easily defeated Thanos."

They had reached the driveway to the farmhouse by now. "I will see what I can do, my lady," Sif said.

Katirya headed for the barn and slid off the horse, keeping one arm over the horse's withers for support. She was about to start removing the saddle, when Volstagg stepped up. "No, my lady. Off to the house with you. We shall take care of the horse, and any other creatures that require attention."

Katirya laughed. "You will all spoil me. I shall miss you when you return to Asgard." She reached out for a walking stick that was propped up against the wall. Before her hand could touch it, Fandral scooped her up, carrying her to the house. "Put me down!" she commanded.

"Nay, my lady. You must allow us to offer some courtesies. After all, you shall have to feed us and find us a place to sleep for the night," Fandral joked as he entered the farmhouse. Setting Katirya down in a chair, he smiled at her. "I am glad Sif decided you were not the evil person we were told of. It gladdens my heart to know that you were only protecting those you care for."

"I_ can _walk you know, it's just difficult," Katirya scowled at him, although it did not quite reach her eyes. They still danced with laughter.

"Kiri," Sif approached her, "I was thinking, perhaps you ought to come back to Asgard with us. The healers there can do wonders to all manner of injuries."

"You have been speaking with Ragna, haven't you?" Katirya was quick to pounce on that.

Sif looked sheepish, "Yes, I was on the walk back. But she feels that the healers can help you, and I agree. I do not know the extent of your injuries, but they can work wonders."

"There is no way I could return. Loki would kill me the instant he discovered me there. And there is no way I could remain hidden. The healers would know who I was the minute they began working on me. I cannot hide that," Katirya replied.

"Eir can be trusted to keep a secret," Ragna spoke up. "And between myself and your brothers, we can keep you hidden when you are there."

"You've got this all planned out, don't you?" Katirya looked at Ragna accusingly.

"Kiri, you cannot remain here forever. Thanos will eventually find you, after he destroys Asgard. You can help to prevent that. After all you did on Niflheim, I cannot believe you would allow Asgard to fall," Ragan retorted.

Katirya looked down, closing her eyes. When she looked back up at the Ragna, her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I cannot go back. You know that."

Ragna sat down next to Katirya, putting her arms around the younger woman. "You can, and you must. You know that. Eventually you will have to face him. Once he understands…"

Katirya buried her face in Ragna's shoulder, her body shaking. "He will never understand. I betrayed him."

Sif knew the 'him' they were referring to was Loki. She looked at the two women. There was a bond between them, that much she could discern. She put it down to the fact that Ragna had been Katirya's companion for this past year, but there seemed to be something else, something she just couldn't put into words. She wondered who Ragna was, and how she knew Taneleer, but held back the questions for now.

Sif moved to stand closer to Katirya. "Ragna is right, you will eventually need to face Loki. I think he will understand."

"Do you?" Katirya looked up at Sif. "You did not see his face, he will never trust me."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki stared at Althanas. "Surrender? I do not believe that will happen."

"We have the Infinity Stones and your _wife,_" Althanas retorted.

"I do not have a wife," Loki replied coldly.

Althanas laughed. "I could have sworn you told me before that you had married my daughter. But that is beside the point; Thanos and Katirya will attack and destroy Asgard. They are giving you a chance to live, so your choice is surrender or die."

"Then I will die if I must, but I will _never _surrender to the likes of those two," Loki spat back. "You may tell that to your master and mistress." He leaned forward until his face was only inches from the other man's, and sneered. "How does it feel to be taking orders from your daughter?"

Althanas moved to punch Loki, only to find himself restrained. "You shall not hit my brother," Thor spoke quietly.

Althanas struggled to escape Thor's grasp. "Let me go, you oaf!" When Thor finally released him, he brushed off his arms, then faced the two brothers. "I shall tell Thanos and Katirya that you refuse to surrender. Your end will be swift, unless they decide to torture you first."

"GET OUT!" Loki shouted, shooting a blast of energy at Althanas.

Althanas went flying, landing near the door. "You will be very sorry you did that," he snarled before darting out the door.


	5. Chapter 5: Paradise Interrupted

Chapter 5: Paradise Interrupted

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

"Well, I would say you handled that quite nicely," Thor said sarcastically as Althanas departed.

"Don't start!" Loki snapped.

"Fine, but we need to talk about this." Thor crossed his arms, staring at his brother.

"What is there to discuss?" Loki looked at his brother. "They want us to surrender, I said no. End of discussion."

"Loki, we might have been able to negotiate…"

"WHAT is there to negotiate? SHE betrayed us, both of us!" Loki shouted. "_She_ had all of the Stones and never told us about it. We ought to have listened to Jane, and now poor Jane is sleeping her life away. Any chance of recovery for Jane disappeared the instant _she _showed her true colors. Not to mention your powers and Mjölnir are lost."

Thor didn't have to ask who _she _was, even though no name was spoken. Loki had refused to say her name since that day. "Loki, we need to think this out clearly, setting aside our emotions. I agree, her betrayal was a complete surprise to all of us, except Jane, but we cannot go back. We can only move forward."

"What is there to think about?" Loki asked.

"First, why have they waited so long? And why are they offering a chance at surrender? What can they hope to gain with that?" Thor offered his thoughts. He had others, but he hoped to get his brother to calm down a bit, to start thinking this through and not simply act out of anger.

"What difference does any of that make? Do not try to distract me with questions." Loki looked at his brother with disdain. "We have been preparing for this day for over a year."

Thor sighed, knowing it was next to impossible to reason with his brother now. Since that day, Loki had been teetering on the edge, and this was bound to push him over it. Thor simply hoped that there would be something left after it was all over. "I shall send someone for Sif and the others," he said.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Dinner was a merry meal that night. Of course, Katirya had to admit, since she had come to Earth, life had been pleasant. It reminded her of her days living in the country in Cartherion. She had been happy then, and for the most part, she was happy now. She looked around the room at her friends and family enjoying a good conversation following an excellent meal, knowing that it had to end. Their arrival meant that she would need to finally leave Earth and return to Asgard. She just wished it hadn't happened so soon. Kai was only a few months old, and she still had not healed completely. She knew Ragna was probably correct in her thinking that the healers of Asgard could help her.

She dreaded the thought of being near Loki. Could she manage to hide? Would she be able to control her emotions? She knew Ragna would help along with her brothers, but would it be enough? This was the part she was not ready for, facing her husband knowing he felt that he had been betrayed and lied to once again.

Her betrayal of both Loki and Thor had been complete. They believed she had fooled them from the start, working with Thanos all the time simply to obtain the Stones. The reality was so much different; she had acted to save them. It had surprised her to discover that there were some who had not believed she had deceived them. Heimdall was the biggest shock, knowing he had been fully cognizant of her whereabouts, but had not said a word to anyone until asked.

And… was she ready to face Thanos again? She knew that would eventually happen, as he would show up in Asgard. He wasn't done yet, just somewhere licking his wounds. He had not left their confrontation unscathed either. In fact, she was fairly certain he had received the worst of it.

Her mind drifted back to that day on Niflheim, something she had refused to do for the past year. It seemed time to consider. What had happened?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Hogun broke into her contemplations.

She sighed, a smile played across her lips hearing that expression. "I was simply recognizing the fact that my idyll has come to an end, and I must face the consequences of my actions on Niflheim."

Ragna overheard them, moving to join them. "You are ready, Kiri. More ready than you realize."

"Am I?" Katirya looked at her companion, then nodded. "I guess I am. I am finally willing to reflect back on that day." She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Feeling calmer now, she glanced at the others, noting they were all looking at her.

"I have not told anyone other than Ragna what happened that day, although my father was able to figure it out. I think Ragna filled him in on the details." Katirya glanced at her friend and companion, who nodded, telling her that she had told Taneleer. 

"Thanos was so confident that day that he made no effort to conceal his mind. First we dealt with my sister. I knew right away it was Kyrath, but allowed her to continue her farce. Finally Thanos appeared. I recognized immediately his intention to torture and kill both Loki and Thor. He was overconfident, feeling he held more power than I did. It was easy to read his mind. What I saw was horrible. His plans…" Katirya broke off with a shudder, unable to say what she had seen in his mind.

"Just Thor and Loki? What about the others?" Hogun asked.

"The mortals…" Katirya shrugged, "he did not care what happened to them. I believe that is why he left Ian there. He also planned to have me as his bride, but I had been told that since I was a young girl. I knew I had to do something, something Loki and I had not planned. Perhaps my choice of action at the time was not the best, pretending to be on Thanos' side, but it was the first thing that came to mind. It worked also fairly certain it would be successful, given Loki's history. I doubt, even given time to think about it, that I would have changed tactics. It worked. Everyone got out, even me. I had already warned Heimdall, asking him to watch what transpired. I had opened my mind to him so he could see. When there was an opportunity to extract Thor and Loki, he did. Fortunately he was able to retrieve Erik and Jane at the same time."

Katirya stopped speaking for a bit. Her eyes were half-closed as her memories played through her mind. "Once they were out of his grasp, he turned his attention to me. He knew I had betrayed him, not them. He was not happy, to put it mildly. As I had told you already, he had an arm around me. He started to crush me. I had underestimated his strength, but he had underestimated my powers. His right arm was practically torn off as I pulled free. I started to run away from him, when he grabbed my leg and whirled me over his head. I used my powers to finish what I had started to the one arm, and his face is not as pretty as it once was."

Sif burst out laughing, "Pretty? I would never call Thanos pretty. I can just imagine what you did to it."

Katirya chuckled lightly. "Yes, I was a bit, uh, irritated at the time. I know he left there with more injuries than I, but he had his minions with him, while I was alone. The pain from the wounds I inflicted caused him to drop me. As I fell, I created an illusion of myself and crawled away to hide."

"But," Sif interrupted, "we have seen the illusions. Both Loki and Frigga were competent with them, and they were just that – illusions that dissipated. How did that fool Thanos?" 

"My illusions are somewhat different. I can create an illusion that has substance. The only problem with that is if someone does something to it, I can still feel it. It does still injure me. So the illusion they saw appeared real. Kyrath kicked it in the back, an action that added to the injuries I already had from Thanos. It basically paralyzed me from the waist down. Thanos had already shattered my pelvis when he crushed me, so it did help with the pain. I couldn't feel anything at that point. I could not move from where I was hidden. I could only watch as they abused my 'dead' self," Katirya explained.

"You said Thanos didn't believe it, correct?" Fandral asked.

"That is right. Thanos still had reservations about me being dead. He could not see the real me, all he saw was my illusion. I was careful, hiding my mind from him, but he just wasn't sure. He did not know the full extent of my powers and realized he had misjudged me. In fact he still does not know all I am capable of. He was in pain from multiple wounds, burns over most of his body, and missing an arm, so he wanted to leave. He left my sister to watch over me. The rest… it is as I told you."

"So he still does not know all of your powers?" Greiwaldt inquired.

"No, he does not," Katirya assured him. "I kept much from him. My primary goal, once Thor and Loki were out of there, was to protect myself and my unborn child."

"Which, you obviously did." Sif glanced over to where Kai was sleeping.

Katirya followed her gaze, smiling at her son. "Indeed. I thank each of you for believing in me, that is why I have shared the truth with you… you believed in me, trusted me."

"But Loki did not!" Fandral insisted. "He put you aside immediately upon his return. That does not say much for the depth of his love for you."

The others nodded uneasily at Fandral's comment, clearly uncomfortable that their King, her husband, had chosen to act as he had.

Katirya shook her head. "It was only as I expected him to react. He had no warning I was about to pretend to betray him. Given his past experiences, I expected no less of a reaction. I had hoped he might consider things in a different light, but frankly it is understandable, given his past. Remember, he had been lied to many times, and Odin's behavior was unforgiveable. He should have been told the truth of his parentage. Instead, he had to wait to discover who his father really was. Odin even lied telling him Laufey was his father, and Frigga kept the truth from him. He was always in Thor's shadow growing up, and while he was told he was born to be a king, there was no kingdom for him to rule. He has made mistakes, but then who among us has not? And…" she hesitated a second before continuing, "even when he became King of Asgard, even then, all of you did not trust him. I think the only one who truly never betrayed him or lied to him was Thor."

Sif and the Warriors Three exchanged a glance, realizing that Katirya spoke the truth.

"Aye, my lady," Hogun finally spoke. "You are right. Until you came along, we did not trust him. We needed to see him through your eyes."

Katirya was aware that her passionate defense of Loki told each one of them her true feelings for her husband. She clearly still loved him. That was going to be the biggest obstacle she faced upon returning to Asgard. She did not feel she could maintain an attitude of disinterest in his presence.

A knock on the door startled them.

"Who is there?" Ragna called out, walking to the door. She peered out the door, at first not seeing anyone.

"It's me! Brandt!" A young boy's voice responded.

"Brandt!" Katirya cried with joy. "Do let him in."

Ragna opened the door, looking down at the young boy. "Well, that explains why I could not see anyone."

"Kiri!" Brandt shouted, racing into her arms. "I thought… " He looked around confused, realizing there were other Asgardians present. "So… what? Why? I don't get it."

Katirya laughed as she hugged the young boy. "Who sent you? Heimdall?"

"Yes, he said Thor needed a message taken to the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. He asked me if I would deliver it, and of course I said yes. Anything is better than staying around the city. But what are you doing here? I thought you took off with Thanos."

"No, I did not take off with anyone, but it is what Thor and Loki believed. I went to my father's first, then came here," Katirya explained.

"Oh." Brandt acted as if that was sufficient explanation for him. "Does this mean you are coming home?"

"Well, sort of. I am going back, but you cannot tell anyone I am there. Do you understand? Loki would most likely kill me first, then ask questions," Katirya told him.

"You said you had a message from Thor for us?" Sif looked at Brandt, reminding him of his reason for visiting.

"Oh, yes." Brandt slid off Katirya's lap. "He said he needs you back right away. Althanas came to visit, demanding they surrender, and Loki refused. He said they would probably attack soon."

The adults in the room exchanged a glance.

"It seems Thanos has recovered sufficiently to attempt to an attack. I wonder how much he knows of the state of affairs in Asgard?" Katirya asked.

"How would he find out?" Hogun asked.

"Sending Althanas," Katirya said bluntly. "He was his eyes and ears. I am certain he returned to tell Thanos that Thor has no power, and Loki is..."

"Insane," Sif finished for her. "That is not good, not good at all."

"Actually, it might play perfectly into my return. It will keep Loki's mind off any strangers arriving in Asgard. Sif?" Katirya looked at the woman. "You said you were traveling to your homeland on this trip. Is there someone there who Loki has never met? A person whose name I might use that you could tell me about, in case anyone asks?"

"My best friend, Trin," Sif offered. "You actually are rather like her."

"Well, I shall have to alter my looks," Katirya replied. "Ragna, you are certain that the healers can be trusted?"

"Why do you ask this?" Sif asked.

"They will know who I really am when they put me in the Soul Forge. I cannot hide from them during the healing process. It is one reason I have refused to return. Ragna, along with my brothers, can provide a shield to hide my presence, but it might not be sufficient. I truly need to know I can trust Eir and her healers," Katirya explained.

"I can trust Eir. I would trust her with my life," Ragna answered.

Sif looked curiously at her. "You have been to Asgard? I do not recall ever meeting you."

"It was a long time ago," Ragna replied. "You might have been off on some adventure, or following Thor into a war."

"Then it is decided. We return to Asgard at once!" Katirya announced.


	6. Chapter 6: Homecoming

**Author's Note: **_I apologize for the delay with this chapter as I had a friend visiting the past week. I should be back to updating 2-3 times a week now._

Chapter 6: Homecoming

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya took a deep breath as they waited to travel back to Asgard. The preceding hours had been hectic, filled with preparations and decisions. Since she was going to pretend to be one of Sif's friends, she had spent several hours talking with Sif, trying to learn as much as she could about the woman's homeland, and her friend Trin. The two women had created a recent history to explain the child and missing husband, along with working on what the _Lady Trin_ would look like while visiting Asgard.

Katirya was still worried Loki would discover her, but Ragna and her brothers, continued to assure her they would make certain he did not know she was in Asgard.

As the rainbow colors signified the beginning the transfer, she hugged Kai tightly. She felt a hand touch the small of her back, and turned to discover Fandral had stepped behind her. He simply smiled reassuringly.

The group arrived in the chambers of the Bifrost portal, and were greeted at once by Heimdall.

"My Queen," Heimdall knelt down in front of Katirya.

"I am no queen, I am simply the Lady Trin." Katirya smiled as she stepped forward to lightly kiss the sentry on the cheek. "Thank you for keeping my secret."

"Your secret?" Heimdall looked at her curiously as he rose.

"Not telling anyone where I was," Katirya said. "I truly appreciated the time."

Heimdall nodded, then noticed the child she was carrying. "Is that…?" His voice trailed off, clearly uncertain how to ask the question.

Katirya laughed lightly. "Aye, this is my son, Kai." She pulled the blanket away from the infant's face, allowing Heimdall to view him.

The giant man stared down at the baby, then smiled. "He looks like his father."

"So I am told! However, I fear that his father might disagree on the matter," Katirya sighed.

"I understand. Things have not been right since you left. Perhaps they may change. I have requested horses for your travel to Asgard." Heimdall gestured towards the door. Outside the chamber, several horses could be seen waiting for them.

Sif led the way, heading out first as the others followed. Katirya was about to use her walking stick to help support herself, when she felt two strong arms come from behind and sweep her off her feet.

She looked up to the smiling face of Fandral. "Allow me, my lady. Tis the least I can do."

Katirya smiled back. "Thank you, Fandral. Your kindness is truly appreciated." She cuddled her child close as they exited the chambers.

"Heimdall?" Sif spoke up when she saw the horses waiting for them. "Was this a wise idea?"

Heimdall chuckled. "They were in the common stables, sent there by the King himself."

"Really?" Sif looked at her brother in surprise. "I suppose I ought not be surprised, but both of them? Are you tempting fate?"

Katirya looked at the horses, seeing at once what part of the issue was. Standing among the horses was the golden palomino mare she had always ridden during her brief time in Asgard. The horse had been given to her by Loki, as a wedding gift during the week of celebrations.

"They are no longer part of the Royal stables, therefore anyone may use them," Heimdall replied.

Fandral had settled Katirya upon the mare while Heimdall was speaking. Katirya leaned down to pat the mare on the withers.

"She appears to be in need of some exercise," Katirya commented, having noted the mare had put some weight on.

"Aye, my lady. There are few who ride her. They feel she is yours still, even though she is in the common stables for anyone to use. The stable lads do keep her well-fed," Heimdall answered.

"Still…" Sif returned back to her original issue. "I wonder at your choice for the Lady Trin's companion."

A grey mare stood waiting patiently.

Heimdall simply shrugged, choosing not to defend his choice of horse for Ragna.

Brandt had been searching through the horses. "Am I to ride a big horse?"

Hogun laughed. "It would appear that you have graduated to the big horses, young Brandt. I see a nice black gelding awaiting you over there."

Brandt ran excitedly over to the horse, scrambling up quickly.

Once everyone had mounted, Heimdall added one last comment. "The Healers are aware of your arrival, my lady. They are expecting you."

Katirya nodded as the party started off at a gallop towards the city.

They slowed to a trot as they entered the first level of the city. Hogun and Volstagg led the way, followed by Ragna and Sif. Fandral rode beside Katirya. The others followed behind. Katirya had changed her appearance as soon as they left the Bifrost chamber. The woman riding the golden mare was completely different from her original rider. Her face was now more rounded, and framed by shoulder-length golden brown curls. Her body was more rounded and stocky; though she was still rather pretty to look at, she had lost the striking looks she was known for. She wore a copper-colored dress that draped off her shoulders, a style commonly seen in Asgard.

As they entered the city, they turned to the right, heading towards Sif's quarters. It had been decided that Ragna and Katirya would stay with Sif rather than trying to find some place to reside. They continued at a comfortable pace, laughing and chatting as they rode. Brandt was waving happily at everyone, making sure his friends saw him riding upon the full-sized horse, not the pony he usually rode.

The group turned down another street, and Hogun was first to notice Thor and Loki ahead. Hogun watched as the brothers walked down the street, knowing there was no way to avoid them as the sound of the horses' hooves had caused Thor to turn around. He glanced quickly at Volstagg before shouting, "My King! My Lord! We have returned."

"It appears we are going to test this illusion sooner than we expected," Fandral spoke lightly to Katirya. "I suggest you focus upon me, it might help."

Katirya closed her eyes briefly, then nodded. "Aye."

"My lady, when you see how much food Volstagg can consume in one sitting, you shall be more than amazed. I promise you," Fandral spoke loudly as they moved closer to the brothers.

"I fear you might be wrong, for I have seen my brothers eat. Our parents swore they were going to eat us out of house and home!" Katirya exclaimed. She was riding sidesaddle, so her back was to Thor and Loki as she focused upon Fandral.

"But can they eat an entire pig? In one sitting?" Sif countered, jumping into the conversation.

Volstagg, clearly feeling he was being put upon, bellowed from the front of the party. "I do not eat _that _much!"

Thor called out a greeting as they approached. "Friends! You have returned."

"And it is about time." Loki glared at the group as he, too, turned to face them.

Katirya could feel his eyes as he scanned the party. She dropped her head to stare at her mare's neck.

"Please excuse us, my King," Sif spoke politely. "My friends are weary. We are heading towards my quarters to settle them in, then shall attend the training on the practice field."

"Welcome to Asgard, friends of Lady Sif," Thor beamed to see two women he did not recognize.

"Thank you, my lord," Ragna replied. "I am…" she was cut off by Loki.

"See that you do not waste time. _They _have begun with their demands," Loki snarled, then whirled and walked away, grabbing Thor's arm to pull him along with.

With a sigh of relief, Katirya realized she had been holding her breath during the encounter. "That was close, but it appears he has no clue it is me." As she spoke, she realized that Loki had paused, turning around to stare at them once again. Her eyes locked with his for a moment.

Seeing the direction of her gaze, Fandral had nudged his mount closer to hers, placing a hand upon her arm. "My lady, be easy."

Katirya looked gratefully up at him, glad at the interruption. She was afraid she might allow her guard to slip. "Thank you."

They moved on, reaching Sif's lodgings in a few moments. After dismounting, the Warriors Three took the horses off towards the stables, leaving Sif to help them settle into her quarters.

"You had best get to the practice fields before Loki comes looking for you," Ragna spoke softly once they had finished.

"I suppose, but…" Sif started to speak.

"I know the way to the Healers, and we have Sean and Greiwaldt to assist. Go, we shall see you later," Katirya interrupted, sending the woman on her way. "Do not give him any reason to wonder at your visitors."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

"I did not know Fandral had finally chosen a woman," Loki spoke up as Thor caught up to him.

"A woman?" Thor asked.

"Yes, that one who was with them just now, the one on _her_ horse. He was paying rather close attention to her," Loki replied.

"Perhaps, although he has always been a ladies man. It could be nothing more than Fandral being his charming self," Thor countered.

"Indeed? Then why was she on that horse?" Loki queried.

"What horse?" Thor looked at his brother, slightly confused.

"The mare. _Her_ mare," Loki spoke sharply.

"Loki, really? All because of a horse? And you were the one who sent the horse down to the common stables a year ago. Anyone could ride that horse, so what does that have to do with Fandral?" Thor replied.

"Yes, that horse. He would know the horse, so he chose it on purpose along with the other horse," Loki spoke insistently. "He did it to insult me, insult you!"

"What other horse?" Thor clearly confused, stopped walking.

"Frigga's horse. Did you not notice it among their mounts?" Loki pointed out at once the thing that had bothered Sif back in the Bifrost chamber.

"Mother has been dead over two years. It is no wonder her horse is being used by others, is it not? Truly brother, what is this all about?" His brother's fixation on the horses was irritating Thor.

"He did it to annoy me," Loki persisted.

"Now you are getting paranoid!" Thor's voice rose as he waved an arm, dismissing his brother's wild ideas. "Enough of this nonsense. I am going to the practice field, I shall see you later."

"Make sure you find out about that woman," Loki replied.

"I shall, if it will settle your mind. Perhaps Fandral has indeed found a woman to settle down with while traveling with Sif. It is about time, but I shall inquire." Thor turned and walked away.

Loki watched his brother depart, his mind returning to the group they had just encountered. It had upset him to see the mare. Even more, the woman upon the horse had caught his eye; she was pleasantly pretty, but nothing like Katirya. There was something about her, something he could not quite figure out. He shook his head, thinking it was probably just seeing the horse that had upset him. It had revived the feelings of hurt and anger he felt towards Katirya. He couldn't believe he was even thinking of her name as he had forbidden anyone to use it in his presence. He made a mental note to make sure the horse was sent out somewhere, a place where he wouldn't have to deal with seeing it again.

He realized that he was thinking about Katirya again. He had spent far too many nights unable to sleep, thinking about her; reliving that day on Niflheim when she had shown she was on the same side as Thanos, only out to get the six Infinity Stones. She had used him and Thor to obtain them. Jane had been right all along. He wondered what had clued Jane into Katirya's true person?

• • _**Fandral•**____**•**_

Fandral was the first of the Warriors Three to reach the practice field. Volstagg had stopped for something to eat, and Hogun had said he would tend to the horses and be along shortly. He paused at the entrance, out of sight of the participants. He noted they were practicing, but their heart was not in it. He wondered how long this condition had existed as he realized that even he had not been too enthusiastic in his training. Now that they had discovered Katirya had not betrayed them, he felt full of the excitement of preparing for battle, a feeling that had been missing for a long time. He knew he had to be careful not to convey the information he now knew about Katirya, but it brought hope to his heart.

He entered the area, and his appearance caused an increase in commitment to the activity, though it was still sadly lacking in the spirit required to prepare for a battle.

"Come along, men! Step it up! We know battle is upon us as the enemy has sent their demands. We must prepare!" His shout rallied a few men to begin to work with a slight bit more enthusiasm.

Thor came up behind him, "So, my friend. Have you found a lady who finally interests you?"

Fandral turned around to face his friend. He sadly realized their friendship had changed over the past year. Back then, he would be slapping his friend upon the back, addressing him as Thor, but now a huge gap stood where friendship had once. "My lord? I do not understand your question."

"The Lady Sif's friend who has returned with you. You seemed to be paying particular attention to her. Loki noticed, and asked of it," Thor explained.

"Ah, the Lady Trin. No, I fear I was simply attempting to cheer her up." Fandral chose to keep the response as simple as possible.

"Lady Trin? So why is she here then?" Thor pressed him.

"Sif convinced her to come to Asgard to see if the Healers can help her. She was badly injured a year ago in an attack to her village. Her husband took off after the attack, and she hopes for his return," Fandral offered the explanation they had all agreed upon before returning to Asgard.

"I see," Thor replied.

At that moment, Volstagg along with Hogun and Sif appeared.

"It is about time!" Thor greeted them.

Sif and the Warriors Three exchanged a glance.

"We are sorry, my lord. I did not anticipate being gone quite so long…" Sif started to explain.

"Nonsense, Fandral has told me of your friend's plight. That is generous of you to offer to assist her. Has she gone to the Healers yet?" Thor asked.

"She was to head down there as soon as she settled in. Her son was a bit fretful from the trip her," Sif replied.

"Son? I do not recall seeing a child with you," Thor looked at them.

Fandral responded quickly, "Yes, Trin brought her son, an infant. Ragna, her companion, was carrying him."

"Well, I shall check up on her this evening then," Thor announced, turning away from them to begin to drill the soldiers.


	7. Chapter 7: Assuage

**Author's note: **_If you have not read my one-shot titled "Rage", I suggest you do. It is my interpretation of Loki's thoughts following Frigga's death. It factors in to the last section of this chapter. _

Chapter 7: Assuage

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya, carrying Kai, stepped hesitantly into the Healers building. She could sense the supporting presence of her brothers and Ragan behind her, but she still was nervous. She knew she would have to reveal her true identity in order for them to work on her injuries. Ragna had vowed that Eir could be trusted, and she believed her. Nevertheless it was still a huge leap of faith, for she was fully aware of the fact that if Loki discovered her presence, he would hunt her down.

A young healer approached her and bowed low. "My lady, we have been expecting you. I shall summon Eir at once."

"Thank you," _Trin _replied, her eyes darting around the room anxiously.

Moments later, Eir appeared, a broad smile upon her face as she laid eyes upon the party. "My lady, I shall be attending to you personally. If you will just follow me." She led the way down one corridor after another, finally reaching their destination. Opening the door, she stood back, allowing the group to enter first.

Upon entering, they discovered a small outer room, which had a small table with three chairs set around it and a tiny crib was set up in the corner. A door near the back led to the chamber that contained the Soul Forge.

Eir carefully closed and locked the door once all were inside. "My Queen,"

_Trin _cut her off. "I am no longer the queen, Eir."

"Still, I consider you the Queen of Asgard. Hopefully, Loki will come to his senses, along with his brother, Thor," Eir said. "However, you are safe in here, as I believe Sean, Greiwaldt and Ragna will be creating the shield to hide you, correct?"

_Trin _nodded, looking at her brothers and her companion. "I hope it will be sufficient."

"Trust me, Kiri," Ragna spoke. "As I trust Eir."

"Is this your son?" Eir asked, looking at the infant _Trin_ was carrying.

"Aye," _Trin_ looked down adoringly at Kai. "This is Kai." She pulled the blankets away from his face.

Eir held out her arms, and _Trin _quickly handed the child over to the healer. Eir looked at the baby smiling. "He looks like his father. It is clear he has the blood of a Frost Giant in his veins."

_Trin_ laughed. "I still say that his father will be the last one to admit that."

"Perhaps," Eir admitted. "But he will be hard put to explain why he does not believe it. This is indeed the child of Loki." She walked over to the small crib, gently laying the child down. "I have explained to my other healers that I am not to be disturbed. So, gentlemen," Eir waved towards the chairs, "make yourself comfortable out here and keep an eye on Kai. Ragna, if you will please join us in there."

Ragna, _Trin,_ and Eir entered the room with the Soul Forge. _Trin _closed her eyes for a few moments. Opening them, she looked at Eir. "You are sure I am safe?"

"Yes, my Lady," Eir replied.

With this final reassurance, Trin disappeared as Katirya's illusion vanished, revealing her true form.

"Now, if you will…" Eir pointed to the Soul Forge.

Katirya climbed up onto the bed and lay down.

Eir began the examination by simply viewing the image generated. She clucked disapprovingly at what she saw. "What happened to you?"

"Thanos happened," Katirya said with a sigh. "I underestimated his physical strength."

"I hope you left him in as bad a shape as he left you," Eir commented.

"Oh, I think so," Katirya replied.

Eir worked quietly for an hour, finally stepping back and turning off the Soul Forge. "I cannot complete everything in one visit. It will require at least two more treatments, and one…" she hesitated for several seconds, "I am not certain I even want to try. Your spine and pelvis were shattered and failed to heal properly, and your right leg was practically crushed. I am amazed you can even walk. Ideally, we would need to break each bone again to allow it to heal correctly, but I fear they might never truly mend. What I have done today is to provide some cushion and structure to those spots to remove most of the pain you feel. You will be able to walk more easily, but do not try to move quickly, at least for now."

Katirya laughed cryptically. "The healers on Earth claimed I would never walk again."

"Well, they were wrong. But then, their medical knowledge is so limited," Eir said disparagingly.

Ragna laughed. "Do not let them know that!"

"Indeed, my lady. I will not," Eir smiled at Ragna. "Now, tomorrow I will focus on the leg. I believe that can be healed fairly easily. It is the pelvis and spine I am concerned about. I will read up on possible treatments tonight."

Katirya sat up slowly, her mind turning inward as she focused on her body. She noticed the pain was less intense. "I do feel a difference. Ragna, you were correct in making me come back to Asgard." Standing up, she walked towards the door, a big smile crossing her face. "It is nice to walk more normally."

"Off with you ladies now." Eir opened the door to the outer chamber.

As Katirya passed through the door, she resumed the illusion of Trin once more. Walking easily over to the crib, she leaned over and picked up Kai. "Is Jane Foster still in your care?"

"Yes, she is. Do you wish to see her?" Eir asked.

_Trin _nodded. "Yes, please. I take it her condition is unchanged?"

"We can do nothing to help her," Eir admitted as she opened the door to the corridor. "In fact, she is just down this hall."

They followed the healer down to Jane's room. Entering, they noticed a single chair in the room. The mortal lay upon the bed; the only movement was the rise and fall of her chest.

"Thor spends every night in here, watching her," Eir explained. "I wish I could help her, but she is beyond even our skills."

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif glanced up from the exercise she had just completed. Seeing Thor watching over the process, she thought about the past year. She had changed. It no longer bothered her that he doted on the human, even though Jane was unaware of his constant attention. Thor was different since that day on Niflheim.

Thor must have sensed her gaze as he focused on her for a moment, then turned his head away. She shook her head, thinking about the next series of exercises that had been set up for the day's training. Realizing she was hungry, she called a halt to the group she was working with.

"Time for our midday meal!" she shouted to the soldiers. Everyone finished what they were working on, setting down their weapons wearily. This routine was wearing on everyone.

She joined Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg as they headed down to the dining hall.

"Well, that was certainly a worthy activity for the morning," Fandral said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Ha!" Volstagg laughed. "Indeed. And more this afternoon, correct?"

"Aye." Sif rolled her eyes. "I simply cannot wait to get back."

Hogun playfully punched her. "Well, at least we have a break. And tonight, isn't there a feast?"

"Indeed," Volstagg confirmed. "I will not be missing it. Shall be a pleasant change from the usual gloom and doom at dinner."

They turned a corner and almost ran into _Trin_ and her small group as they were coming out of the healers.

"Trin!" Sif was quick to notice that she was not limping as badly as she had been when they arrived in Asgard. "I see the visit has been a success."

"Indeed, although Eir feels she will be limited with one of my injuries, but what she has been able to do is almost a miracle!" _Trin_ exclaimed. "I will probably always have some pain, but to be able to walk…" she spun around in the street, "it is wonderful!"

Sif laughed. "That is wonderful to hear. What are you up to now?"

"We were going to head down to the kitchens, see if we could find some food for a picnic in the gardens. I saw young Brandt this morning and he plans to join us with a few of his friends. Would you all care to join us?" _Trin _asked.

"I fear we shall have little time except to eat and return to the practice field. We were just heading to the dining hall now," Sif explained.

"But thank you for the kind offer," Fandral added. "Perhaps tonight? There is a feast we can together."

_Trin _nodded. "A feast? I am surprised they are still allowed," she laughed lightly.

"As are we all," Sif spoke dryly.

"Tonight then," _Trin _confirmed.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki stood upon the balcony overlooking the city. With a start, he realized it was the same balcony he had been standing upon the day Katirya had come back back into his life. His mind wandered to that day, reliving a few of the events. He smiled as he recalled disguising himself as one of the palace guards, only to get trapped in the room as they interrogated the 'intruder' that Volstagg had discovered lurking on the outskirts of Asgard.

Hearing laughter wafting up from the gardens, he glanced down to see the two woman who had accompanied Sif this morning, along with what appeared to be Katirya's two brothers and several children heading into the gardens. The small group stopped in an open spot, spreading out a blanket and the makings of what appeared to be a picnic lunch.

He felt a pang of sadness as he watched the group settle down, noticing that the younger of the two woman had a small infant with her. They looked like plump hens overseeing their brood as the band of children danced around them. Had Katirya not betrayed him that might have been him down there, with her and their child, watching children as they played and enjoying the gorgeous day.

He sat down on a bench, thinking about the events since the day Katirya arrived. He was bitter; he knew that. She had led him along so perfectly. He had fallen in line with her plans, unaware what she was truly planning. He had spent many hours thinking about the short time they had been together, trying to ascertain where or how he had missed the signs that she was preparing to destroy him. He knew she would eventually return, with Thanos, to finish what she had started. He wondered why she was waiting so long. Was she trying to prolong the process, drive him insane? If so, she was succeeding.

He slammed his fist down on the bench, trying to dispel these thoughts. The sound of a dog barking caused him to glance once more down at the picnic below. Frigga's collies had joined the group, racing around after Brandt and the other children. He realized he had not seen those dogs since Katirya left. He knew the last time they had disappeared was after Frigga's death. The cook… what was her name again? Katirya would know it, he thought, then attempted to banish the memory of Katirya.

The name suddenly popped into his mind. Magda! That was her name. Magda had told him that the dogs had taken up residence in the kitchens after Frigga's death. He figured they must have done the same thing when Katirya left.

Seeing Frigga's dogs reminded him of her. He sighed deeply, realizing he had never really mourned for her. She had been the only one of his family who understood him. His last words to her had been harsh. If he had only known it was going to be the last time he ever saw her…

He closed his eyes, feeling a tear slip down his cheek. Frigga had been the only one to visit him in the prisons, the only one who truly cared. His last words had refuted her as his mother. He wished he could take those words back. He recalled the guilt he had felt when he finally learned of her death, thinking _he _had been the one to cause it. He had told Kurse the quickest way up to the main floors. No one had bothered to tell him what had been happening with Jane and the Aether. Thor had simply offered him a chance at revenge. He had jumped at the chance to get out, and when the opportunity came to escape the inevitable return to prison, he had grabbed it. A prison without Frigga's presence in Asgard would have been unbearable.

He wished he could blame Jane for Frigga's death, but Jane had not asked to find the Aether. He wondered how much Katirya was to blame for that? Thinking perhaps it had been she, not Thanos, who had selected Jane. Katirya had promised to help Jane, but then showed her true feelings when she had all six of the Infinity Stones, siding with Thanos.

He snarled angrily, wiping the tears from his cheeks as he thought about Katirya once again. He knew he would have to eventually face her; that was inevitable. Rising, he glanced once more down at the picnic. Laughter continued to float through the air, irritating him. Turning on his heel, he left the balcony.


	8. Chapter 8: Borderline

Chapter 8: Borderline

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Staccato footsteps echoed in the hallways as Loki strode towards the city. He passed several guards, barely noticing them. People darted out of his way. He was accustomed to this reaction, but it had increased lately to the point where his appearance was certain to cause everyone to find some place else that they needed to be.

He reached the building that housed the healers, pausing for a moment as he considered his purpose. His mission here was twofold, and he intended to leave here satisfied on both counts.

He walked through the door, noting several of the healers who had been standing around talking when he entered suddenly discovered something they needed to do urgently. This left just one person in the room with him. He glared at her. "Where is Eir?"

"M- my- my King," the lady stammered. "I wi- wi- wi- will find her right away." She backed towards the door.

"Never mind," Loki growled. "I will find her myself." He brushed past her, striding down the hallway.

One of the healers must have informed Eir of his arrival, because she appeared at the end of the hallway.

"My King, I am sorry I was not warned of your plans to visit," Eir said softly as she dipped her head in deference to the king of Asgard.

"I just decided to come," Loki snapped. "Jane Foster, where is she? Has her condition improved or is she still taking up space?"

Eir's eyebrows flew up at his questions. "Her condition has not changed. If you wish to visit her, follow me." The healer turned and walked down a side corridor. Pausing before a doorway, she opened it, stepping back to allow Loki to enter.

Loki swept past her. His gaze wandered around the room, noting the small cot that had been set up along one wall. A chair sat next to the bed where Jane lay. He walked over to her, staring down at the human. The only sign that she was still alive was the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Gesturing towards the cot, "For my brother?"

Eir nodded. "Aye, my King. He visits every night."

"I am well aware of his nightly visits. The fool needs to realize that she will never awaken," Loki looked at Eir. "Unless you have found a way to repair the damage that _she _has done."

Eir stared boldly back at Loki. "Katirya had nothing to do with this. Thanos is the enemy here. It was he who destroyed the poor child's mind."

Loki was taken by surprised at Eir's vehement defense of his former wife. This was the first person in Asgard to stand up to him, defy him even; she had actually gone so far as to utter _her_ name! "YOU were not there, you know nothing!"

"I did not have to be there to recognize the work of the devil," Eir countered.

Loki's lips curled in a snarl. "Enough, woman!"

"Is there anything else I can help you with? Perhaps something to settle your temper?" Eir asked.

Loki's eyes flashed with anger. "You overstep your place, Eir."

"Your mother would have disagreed, my King. My position here has always been to look after the interests of the denizens of Asgard." Eir continued to stare boldly at him.

The mention of his mother brought back the flood of memories once more. This was twice in one hour, he realized. Was he going mad? Losing his mind? "I am fine," Loki spoke coldly, his eyes locked with Eir's.

"Then, if you do not mind, I have work to do," Eir moved towards the door.

Loki put an arm out and stopped her. "Did that woman, that friend of Sif's, come here today?"

"The Lady Trin?" Eir asked for confirmation.

"If that is her name, then yes," Loki replied.

"Yes, she was here this morning. She left before lunch time," Eir offered the information readily.

"Why did she come?" Loki asked abruptly.

"She was severely injured in a battle about a year ago," Eir quickly offered him the details of the injury; outlining the protocol she was using to help the woman. "I fear she will always feel pain, but she will be able to walk much easier at the very least."

"So she was injured. What battle?" Loki asked.

"I did not inquire, my King. She is to return tomorrow morning, I can ask her if you wish?" Eir looked at Loki curiously, clearly wondering at his interest in the woman.

Loki realized he did not know why he wanted to check up on the woman. He recalled the brief look she had given him as she rode into Asgard. She had not looked away until Fandral had said something to her. He made a note to check with Thor to find out what information his brother had gathered about Trin.

"So the injury is why Sif brought her to Asgard?" Loki pressed.

"Yes, the injuries were such that untreated, they did not heal properly. She was worried for her unborn child at the time, and the loss of her husband, thus she did not seek help immediately," Eir explained.

"She had a husband?" Loki had noticed the way Fandral had seemed solicitous of Trin, making him believe that Fandral was interested in her.

"Has, my King. She did mention she was waiting for his return. Now, that is all the information I have. Unless you have any other requests, I have duties I must attend to. I will make certain to find out more on the morrow and send a report to you if you wish." Eir offered graciously.

"Do that," Loki abruptly left the room and exited the building.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

"We had a watcher," Ragna finally spoke as the group began picking up the remnants of the picnic.

"I know," _Trin_ replied. "He is very angry. This is not going to be easy. I wonder if I ought not to leave as soon as possible. I cannot see any way to make him understand what my intentions were. He is certain of what he saw that day."

"Patience, Trin, patience," Ragna said softly. "You will find the right time to approach him. In the meantime, take advantage of the healers and enjoy yourself here."

_Trin_ smiled, looking at the children racing around the open space, the dogs nipping at their heels playfully. "It is one of my favorite places." Reaching down to the last blanket left out, she picked up the sleeping Kai. His eyes flew open as he scrunched his face up. Cooing softly at the baby, she glanced up towards the empty balcony. 

Greiwaldt followed her gaze. "You will prevail. I am certain of it. After all, you are my sister."

"Half, half sister," _Trin_ corrected. "I just hope you are right. Shall we head in? I think someone needs to be changed," she sniffed as she held Kai out. "Care to carry him, brother?"

Greiwaldt backed away from the baby. "No, thank you though."

_Trin_ laughed loudly, watching as they gathered up the last blanket. She began walking towards the palace, enjoying the freedom of movement without intense pain. "I wonder how much more Eir will be able to do. I feel so much better as it is."

"I just wish she could heal all of it for you," Sean looked as his sister, sadness in his eyes.

"Now Sean," _Trin_ chided him. "I am alive, in fact, everyone survived. Well, almost everyone, and I might be able to do something for Jane yet. I have to think, but I will need the Stones. We might need to visit our father soon."

"Great," Greiwaldt laughed. "Just what I wanted, a visit to the most eccentric individual in the Universe!"

"Ragna, we must stop and find something to wear tonight. I fear I have nothing grand enough to wear to a feast," _Trin _addressed her companion.

"I know just the place," Ragna smiled. "Let us settle Kai in for his afternoon nap and go there."

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor ended the afternoon practice early, allowing everyone the opportunity to prepare for the evening feast. He entered the palace to seek out his brother. He found it odd that Loki had not made an appearance during the practice at all today. He wondered what had kept him away.

As he made his way through the city, he encountered Sif's two friends leaving one of the seamstresses. Each carried a dress draped over their arm, laughing as they walked along.

"Good day, ladies," Thor approached them.

Both women gasped in surprise to see him. "Good day, my lord," _Trin _spoke first.

"Thor, please, just call me Thor," Thor corrected her. "You are friends with the Lady Sif, so I hope you will consider me a friend as well."

"I see no reason why we cannot," Ragna agreed.

"I see you have found something for this evening's feast," Thor commented on the dresses they were carrying.

"Aye, we did not bring much with us, not realizing there was a feast day," _Trin_ explained. "I do hope these will suffice."

Thor noted the richness of the fabrics of the dresses. "You will be fine."

"Thank you for your kind words," Ragna replied.

An idea suddenly occurred to him. "Since you know very few here in Asgard, please allow me to escort you tonight. I can ensure you are seated with friendly folks."

_Trin _laughed. "Other than your brother, the King, it appears that everyone is friendly here."

Thor winced, realizing they had immediately picked up on Loki's mood. "You must excuse my brother. He has had a difficult year."

"Indeed," Ragna said wryly. "I can assure you that Trin's life has not been easy, yet she does not rant and rave about like a lunatic."

_Trin_ choked back a laugh. "Ragna!"

Thor sighed, "She is right, though."

"Why do you allow him to behave so?" Ragna asked.

"What can I do? I am a simple warrior. Since I lost the hammer, I have struggled myself," Thor said, his voice filled with regret. "So much changed."

"Enough of this melancholy!" Ragna snapped her fingers. "Tonight is a feast, and we shall enjoy it."

Thor parted ways with the women, heading up to his chambers. He passed Loki's rooms, pausing for a moment. The door burst open, a servant dashing out, his eyes wide with fear.

"Now what is up?" Thor muttered. "Loki?" He poked his head in the door. "Loki?"

"I am back here!" Loki's voice shouted.

Thor followed the voice, finally locating his brother. "I see you are in a fine mood. You will definitely be an asset to the feast tonight."

"Do not mock me, Thor!" Loki stared at his brother.

"I am not mocking you, simply commenting that you are in a foul mood. Not that it is different from normal," Thor replied.

Loki chose to not reply.

"Loki, listen. We must move forward. We cannot change the past..." Thor started only to be interrupted by his brother.

"No, we cannot change the past. Mother is dead, and _she _betrayed me. _She _is working with Thanos to take over the Universe, planning the worst possible way to destroy us. Why else have they waited so long?" Loki's voice was cold.

"I do not know why they have waited, but they are finally starting to make their presence known. We are as prepared as much as we can be. Tonight we shall enjoy the feast."

A sudden explosion interrupted their conversation.

The two brothers ran to the balcony overlooking the city. Smoke was rising from one section. "The practice field…" Thor's voice trailed off. Not for the first time, he wished he had Mjölnir. There was no way he could reach the area as fast as he once had been able to. He turned and raced out of Loki's rooms.


	9. Chapter 9: Anguish

Chapter 9: Anguish

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

As Thor ran through the hallways of the palace, he wondered what had happened. Most of the training sessions had ended for the day. He reached the entrance to the practice fields at the same time as Sif and Hogun. They ran inside to discover complete chaos. Four soldiers lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds. The remaining men were racing wildly about shouting nonsense.

"STOP!" Thor's commanding tone silenced the guards, bringing everyone to a halt. "What has happened?"

"Their weapons, my lord," one guard finally gasped. "They simply exploded."

As he spoke, several healers raced into the room. Taking one look, they moved directly to the fallen soldiers to attend to them.

"Where are their weapons?" Thor asked, seeing none lying near the downed men.

"They simply exploded, my lord. Completely. They are gone."

"Gone? What madness is this?" Thor shouted. "Who else was down here?" 

Hogun glanced at Sif before speaking. "We were the last two to leave after you, except for this small group who asked if they could practice one last time."

"They _asked_ to stay?" Thor looked at her incredulously. He knew most of the soldiers looked for any excuse to leave thanks to the constant training Loki had ordered.

"They did," Hogun confirmed. "I thought it odd myself, but they were insistent."

Thor approached one of the standing guards. "Why did you ask to stay?"

"She told us we had to," he pointed a finger at Sif.

"Sif?" Thor whirled around accusingly.

"I did no such thing. Trust me, I know the general feelings of the soldiers in regards to the training; I mean, they look for any reason to quit early. With the feast tonight, I gave everyone leave to go," Sif defended herself.

"She did, I was here," Hogun quickly confirmed.

Thor stared at the soldier, then looked back at Sif.

"Sorry, but I did not tell him that."

"I know, Sif, I know," Thor said. "It would seem we have a shape-shifter among us."

"The only one I know who can do that is Loki, but I cannot believe he would sabotage the army, not when he is so intent on training us for attack," Sif said wryly.

"Well, I am glad you do not believe it is me," Loki said as he entered the area.

Sif started, swallowing hard before replying. "No, I believe you would be the last one to do this. You are too focused on an attack that might never happen," she said defiantly.

Thor looked sharply at Sif, surprised at her boldness. "Sif?"

"Sorry, but it is true," Sif countered. "We have been training endlessly, with no sign of any attack. Is it any surprise that something has happened? I'd be willing to bet it is someone who is sick and tired of training."

Thor darted a quick look at his brother to see how he was taking this defiance.

Loki simply stared at Sif.

"Well, that would mean one of the guards is capable of the trick. I do not know of any, do you?" Thor asked.

Sif shook her head. "No, there are none."

"Then, the only logical choice would be me, yet you have already deduced that I would not do this, so what do you propose?" Loki challenged her.

"I… I do not know, my King," Sif finally lowered her eyes.

"This bickering will get us nowhere," Thor said. "I agree, it was not Sif who ordered this extra training, yet the guards state it was her." He pointed to the one guard who had first spoken. "What were the exact orders?"

The guard looked nervously at Loki before replying. "She stated we were to practice a new maneuver, one that utilized the laser lances. We were to master the move so we could train the other units in the morning."

"I never said that! And we haven't had a new maneuver in at least a month!" Sif shouted.

"Sif, calm down. I know we haven't had a new maneuver, let alone one that used those weapons," Thor replied. He glanced over at the room where the weapons were housed. "I wonder…" He walked into the weapons room, coming out with one of the lances. Looking closely at it, he finally located a small object imbedded near the point. "Take a look at this, it appears they have been sabotaged." He offered the lance to Loki.

Loki inspected it, nodding. "It was a setup. Someone, probably _her _or one of her helpers, showed up, tampered with the weapons, then made sure they were used."

Thor nodded in agreement. "That would seem the most obvious answer. We know all of the Cartherions are capable of shape-shifting, as well as Thanos." He sighed heavily. "Is there any way to determine if someone is not who they seem?"

Loki shook his head. "Not unless they open their mind. I cannot read their minds as readily as _she_ could."

"What of her brothers? Could they assist us?" Thor asked, remembering that both Sean and Greiwaldt had remained in Asgard.

"I can ask them," Hogun offered. "I do not think they would mind."

"Well, if they do mind, they can just leave," Loki snarled.

"How badly are they injured?" Thor finally inquired of one of the healers.

"Most of the wounds are superficial, except for this one," the healer indicated the man she was currently working on. "He has lost his right arm. It has disappeared."

"Along with the weapons they were using, interesting," Thor sighed. "We need to inspect all of the weapons first thing tomorrow before training begins."

Sif and Hogun both nodded.

"We can organize that," Hogun said.

"Then let us prepare for the feast tonight," Thor waved his hand, dismissing the remaining guards. "I shall go check on the…"

He was interrupted by the arrival of Fandral and Volstagg.

"Thor, we have a problem…" Fandral looked around at the injured soldiers. "Or rather, another problem it would seem. What happened here?"

"Someone sabotaged the weapons, then pretended to be Lady Sif and ordered this group to remain tonight to practice until it was time for the feast," Thor explained.

"Ah, that is the other problem, the feast," Fandral replied. "Volstagg insisted on stopping by the kitchens to check on the progress of the food, making sure all your favorite dishes were being prepared, of course. Only we discovered that the feast had been canceled and the ovens shut down for a week for some new training exercise."

"What?" Loki shouted. "Who ordered this?"

"It seems, my King, that you did," Volstagg stated.

"I did what?" Loki asked.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Arriving back in their rooms, the two women hung up their new dresses to air out. _Trin _picked up Kai from his bed, then they both took a seat out on a balcony to relax.

"What was that?" _Trin_ asked as an explosion sounded throughout the city.

"It came from the practice fields," Ragna replied. "Probably some new weapon they've developed, preparing for the imminent attack."

_Trin _rolled her eyes. "Loki is truly going overboard on the training aspect." She paused as she considered the entire series of events from the past year. "I wonder why Thanos is taking so long to attack?" _Trin _asked, not really expecting an answer to the question, but feeling it needed to be said out loud. "Something about this whole thing bothers me. Why are they waiting so long?"

"They have sent one messenger finally. Do you think Thanos might have died of his injuries?" Ragna asked.

"I do not believe so," _Trin _replied slowly. "But something is out of place, and I cannot put a finger to it. Why wait? Unless they are doing it to drive Loki mad."

"If that is the case, they are doing an excellent job of it. He is teetering closer towards madness with each day. From what I could gather while you were in the healers, he is unstable at best," Ragna replied. "But, you might be right. It does seem odd that they only sent one to make their demands. Do you suppose they are waiting?"

"Waiting for what, though?" _Trin _asked. "And why doesn't Loki initiate the attack? Why wait for it? Although it is helping me that he does not. I would far rather they come here."

"Why is that?" Ragna asked.

"It gives me the opportunity to see how he reacts, and if I dare make my presence known," _Trin _explained. "Right now, I do not feel Loki would be very happy to see me."

Ragna laughed. "That is so true. Well, shall we get ready for this evening?"

Before they could rise, Greiwaldt entered, followed by Sean and two others.

"Good day, ladies!" Greiwaldt swept a low bow at the two women. "My brother and I have brought you some company. Two others who are not native to Asgard. May I present Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig, both mortals of Midgard? I thought you might enjoy their company tonight as well. We can all laugh at the antics of the festivities and protocols of Asgardians together, since none of us can claim Asgard as our homeland."

Darcy stepped forward, looking at the two women. "Hi! We're friends of Jane, she's in the Healers. Sean was saying you were there earlier today. Did you see her?"

"Indeed we did. I am sorry for your friend. Eir explained what had happened. I do hope something can be done for her," _Trin _replied.

"Well, they don't hold out much hope, but who knows." Darcy sat down next to _Trin, _smiling as she looked at the baby. "Awww, so cute. Boy or girl?"

"Kai, my son," _Trin _beameddown at the sleeping infant.

"Wow," Darcy was looking at him oddly. "He looks just like Loki."

_Trin _blinked in surprise. "Really? I have to admit you are not the first to say so. Personally, I think he looks just like his father."

"Does his father look anything like Loki?" Darcy asked with a grin.

"A little," _Trin_ admitted.

"Where is his father? Did he come with you?" Erik finally spoke up.

"No, he, um, he disappeared after the attack last year," _Trin_ spoke hesitantly.

"That's when you were injured, right? Sean told us about that. Did the attackers capture him?" Darcy asked.

"Yes, that is correct, and I am fairly certain he was not captured," _Trin _replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I lost my boyfriend about a year ago too. He was murdered by one of Thanos' thugs. Do you think Thanos had anything to do with your husband's disappearance? Maybe he is chasing after him?" Darcy offered her thoughts,

_Trin_ laughed softly. "No, I am fairly certain he is not chasing after Thanos."

"Oh," Darcy spoke sadly. "I'm sorry he's gone. It's kinda hard, isn't it? At least I know my guy is dead."

Sean coughed, staring hard at _Trin. _"We thought you might be able to, uh, help? And, it might be a good idea to have a few more on our side?"

Darcy looked confused. "How can she help? Oh, wait, I get it. She's lost her husband, and I lost my boyfriend. We can console one another, right?"

_Trin_ glanced quickly at Ragna, who nodded imperceptibly. "Darcy, your boyfriend still lives."

"WHAT?" Darcy's jaw dropped open. "No way. Thor told me that one of them killed Ian."

_Trin _shook her head. "No, Darcy. Ian is alive and well, living in New York in Jane's apartment. I would ask Heimdall to bring him here, but I cannot right now."

"Wait, how do you know? Thor was there. He said Loki told him that one of them, I think it was Althanas, boasted about killing Ian. Is he really alive?" Darcy's eyes had lit up, clearly excited at the possibility that Ian was still alive.

"I was there," _Trin _replied.

"But…" Darcy's mouth stayed open as she stared at _Trin. _Then she glanced at Kai before looking back at _Trin, _who suddenly transformed into Katirya. "Oh… my… god! Kiri?"

"Shhh… not so loud," Katirya warned her.

"But… but…" Darcy continued to gape at Katirya.

Katirya placed one hand on Darcy's arm. "Darcy, you must promise not to tell anyone. I am not exactly the most popular person in Asgard right now."

"That's an understatement!" Erik glared at Katirya.

"Erik, please. You have to understand. What you saw…" Katirya paused. "I created a situation to distract Thanos. He became overconfident, which allowed Heimdall the chance to get everyone out of there. Everyone but me that is, and Ian. I thought Ian was dead as well. It wasn't until after…" she closed her eyes as she recalled the events on Niflheim, "after Thanos took off, that I discovered Ian still lived. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do. At least not until my father sent Ragna to help me, and my father chose to send Ian to Earth rather than make an attempt to reunite him with you."

"So you want us to believe that you did not betray Loki and Thor?" Erik looked at Katirya skeptically.

"Yes," Katirya quickly explained the chain of events as they had happened that day, ending with the fact that she was here on Asgard seeking help for the injuries she had sustained that day. "I cannot allow Loki to know I am here, at least not yet. Not until Thanos shows his hand."

"Katirya, I was there that day. I am having a difficult time understanding why you waited so long before coming back to Asgard. Do you realize how Loki has been this past year?" Erik stared at Katirya, anger at her actions flashing in his eyes.

Katirya nodded, bowing her head. "Erik, I understand your point. I knew Loki would react this way, although I _had _hoped he might consider other options for my actions. I obviously did an excellent job convincing everyone that day. Unfortunately, I was not in any condition to even attempt to return to reason with him, if he would even have listened to me. He still would not, and he has had a year to allow this wound to fester. Until Thanos shows up, I cannot do anything."

"So, you just lived happily for the past year, knowing the Hell you were putting Loki through, and did nothing?" Erik accused her.

"Erik, really?" Darcy wailed. "It's not like… I don't know… Kiri?"

"I wish I could say I lived 'happily'. I spent close to a month, in hiding and unable to move on Niflheim. Until Hela grew bored and my sister finally took off, I could do nothing. Then, when they finally left, until someone came for me, I was alone. I had no one to help me. No one came back to see if maybe I had played Thanos falsely. Loki did not," Katirya had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Loki had absolutely no faith in me, did he? I know what I did, it was intended to make him believe I had betrayed him, but I did hope he might, just might, not believe it."

As Katirya bowed her head, putting her hands over her face to hide the anguish, Ragna moved to comfort her, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Kiri, you and I have discussed this many times. You knew Loki might not consider any other options other that what he saw. His past has colored his outlook on people."

"I know, Ragna, but it still hurts," Katirya sobbed.

"So, what difference will it make when, or even if, Thanos does come to Asgard?" Erik asked.

"Before you arrived, we were discussing this," Ragna added.

"So, who exactly are you?" Darcy suddenly asked suspiciously. "Are you, like someone in disguise too? Like… who else is missing?"

"I am simply a friend of Kiri's father," Ragna replied.

"Oh," Darcy still continued to stare at her, as if expecting her to change into someone else.

"As to your question, Erik, there is something off and I cannot figure it out. Why has Thanos waited so long to attack? While I know he was badly injured, he would have been able to seek aid sooner than I, plus he was not pregnant at the time. I had to worry about my son. We were trying to determine what his next move would be. He has finally sent one messenger, but all he asked for was Loki's surrender. On Niflheim, I know he wanted to kill him and Thor in the most horrible way possible. He cannot have changed so radically that a simple surrender will suffice," Katirya explained.

They all jumped at the sound of the second of a knock on the door. Ragna opened it as Katirya returned to the form of Trin. A servant from the kitchens was standing outside with a tray.

"What is this?" Ragna asked.

"Supper, since the feast was canceled," the servant replied as he stepped into the room to set the tray down upon a table.

"Canceled?" _Trin_ asked.

"Aye, the King decided to cancel it. Said to shut down the ovens and fires, and we are all to eat cold food for a week. Something about a new training regimen, in case we are put under siege," the servant sighed, clearly tired of these constant changes. "Mistress Magda felt you might wish something substantial, especially with the baby, so she put together a tray for you."

The two women exchanged a glance, then _Trin_ spoke. "Loki canceled the feast? Interesting."

"Aye, came down himself, he did, to the kitchens. Caused quite a ruckus," the servant nodded.

"I find it odd that he canceled this feast, especially on such short notice," Ragna said.

"Agreed, and for an entire week? I find it extremely odd," _Trin _added.

"What is so different about this one from any other?" Darcy asked.

Ragna and _Trin _exchanged a glance.

"This is one of his mother's festivals, the winter solstice. To cancel it is almost as if he is dishonoring her memory," _Trin _explained.

"Agreed," Ragnareplied. "I think we need to head down to the kitchens."

Magda rushed over when the small group entered the kitchens. "I am sorry, but what I sent was all I could offer. There ought to be enough to share with the Lady Sif, but if Volstagg shows up, you are in trouble."

Ragna laughed. "Indeed, but do tell, why did the King cancel the feast?"

Magda shrugged. "I cannot say why. He simply walked in, told us to shut down the ovens and that the feast had been canceled. Who am I to argue with the King?"

"I see…" _Trin _said, even though it did not make sense. "So he gave no reason?"

"Only that it was some new training plan, my lady," Magda replied.

**Author's notes: **_I really must thank everyone who sends in reviews. I do try to reply to each one, and your thoughts have helped me to consider various things to add to the story. Your ideas spark my imagination. _

_One thing I wanted to point out, the festival I selected for this chapter is Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. It is a pagan festival; in fact, many of our holidays are based on old pagan festivals. Yule is associated with both Loki and Frigga in Norse cultures, and the history of mistletoe and its use during Yule is a fascinating story. _


	10. Chapter 10: Discord

Chapter 10: Discord

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

The feast had been canceled? And he was the one to cancel it? Loki was confused and furious, a volatile combination at best. He knew he had not canceled the feast. He had been looking forward to the celebration, as it had always been his mother's favorite event. The feast was the start to a twelve-day festival, and he knew everyone had been anticipating a change from the routine of training. He was fully aware of the opinions of the people in terms of his schedule for training, but they had not dealt with Thanos, he had. He knew what the man was capable of, and now that Thanos had _her _helping him, there was no end to the destruction that could be wrought once they decided to attack. He only hoped that they would be able to repel them.

Loki noticed everyone was looking at him expectantly. "I will get to the bottom of this, and we will have our feast, somehow."

Volstagg's face brightened, clearly happy that food would be forthcoming. "Excellent. If we can help in any way…"

Thor chuckled, "Volstagg, I know that where food is involved, you will always be first to volunteer to help."

"It seems a visit to the kitchens is in order," Loki spoke up. He was still trying to figure out what had happened. How had this been canceled? This was the second time in less than an hour that an imposter had appeared to cause chaos in the city. Was it Thanos, or one of his minions? Or _her_?

"Are you thinking what I am?" Thor asked his brother as they departed the practice fields to head towards the kitchens.

"That someone is trying to cause trouble?" Loki asked.

"Aye," Thor nodded. "Although it does exonerate Sif."

"It does," Loki replied. He could hear the others following behind them. "Is this another message?"

Thor shrugged. "Possibly. It would make sense to disrupt things, but…"

"But what? They are stronger than we, and they have had sufficient time to build up an army, so why do stupid little things like this?" Loki spoke abruptly.

"I do not know, brother. Until they choose to appear, we simply must wait," Thor moved ahead to open the doors to the kitchens.

They entered to discover that _Trin_ and her party had already arrived before them. Loki looked suspiciously at the group, noting that Erik and Darcy were now with them.

Magda paled to see the King and his entourage enter. "My King," she bowed low. "Is there something else that you require?"

Loki suddenly realized that she did not know it had not been him to cancel things. He continued to stare at _Trin_ and Ragna. "I fear we have an imposter among us. I did not cancel the feast tonight. Is it still possible to prepare the meal?"

"My King?" Magda looked up, confused.

"Did you not hear me?" Loki glared at her.

_Trin _stepped over to stand beside Magda, "Do not scare her so. Of course she heard you, we all heard you." She spoke boldly, staring back at Loki.

Loki almost laughed aloud, realizing that this little sparrow of a woman was standing up to him. He chose to ignore her comment. "That does not answer my question. Can the feast still be prepared?"

Magda shook her head. "No, my King. I am sorry, but when you ordered the ovens shut down…"

"I did not order that!" Loki snapped.

"Loki, they do not know what has happened. We do not really know what has happened," Thor interceded. He quickly explained what had happened up on the practice fields, and then how they had learned of the cancelation of the feast.

Magda sighed heavily. "I am sorry, but since we shut the ovens down, it will take hours to get them hot enough again to prepare a meal."

"Does it have to be a hot meal?" Darcy suddenly asked.

Ragna considered the question briefly. "I do not believe so. Why not make it a picnic style?"

Magda nodded. "Aye, I think we have sufficient provisions to pull that off. It won't be fancy, but we can make it up tomorrow night for the second night's feast."

"And that means we won't have to cancel, thus the people will not be angry," Thor added.

_Trin _and Ragna exchanged a quick glance, then _Trin _spoke up. "We can help down here, organizing what is available. We are both experts at this sort of thing."

Ragna smiled. "Indeed. I have had experience with crises such as this rather often in my lifetime. This will be a simple one."

"I will willingly help with the food organization," Volstagg offered, generating a loud roar of laughter from the assembled company.

"Fandral, why don't you see to the musicians and other entertainment that had been planned?" Sif suggested. "I can check on the decorations, make sure those haven't been tossed out."

"And I shall send out messengers throughout the city that the feast has not been canceled," Hogun finished.

Loki considered the offers, then nodded acceptance. He was still upset that there was clearly someone running about Asgard pretending to be various people. What would their next act be? "Thor, we need to talk. Alone. The rest of you, see what you can do to ensure that we have a feast ready in time."

Loki turned on his heel and moved towards the exit, pausing for a moment to speak quietly to one guard. The guard listened intently, then nodded and departed.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

_Trin _and Ragna quickly organized the workers to inventory what food was available, restart the fires in the gigantic ovens, and begin the process of creating a simple menu for the evening's feast.

After an hour of work, _Trin_ stood back to survey their progress. Satisfied, she motioned for her friends to join her, including Magda. "We have done the best we can do. I think everyone shall be satistifed as there is sufficient food. It might not be the typical fare they were expecting, but," she shrugged, "no one will go away hungry."

Volstagg's laugh rumbled up from his belly. "Indeed, my lady. There is enough to feed everyone, even myself!"

This comment produced a laugh from everyone within hearing distance.

"That said, Magda?" _Trin_ called on the head cook. "I leave the kitchens in your capable hands while we head out to make ourselves look presentable." She was aware of the fact they were all covered in various ingredients from the efforts in the kitchens.

As soon as they were out of the kitchens, _Trin_ paused, gathering them all in one small group so they could talk. Her brothers had remained in the kitchen to assist, along with Ragna and Volstagg. Darcy and Erik had taken off to help the others. "I am concerned about this person, pretending to be others. It means we have another shape-shifter lurking about."

"Can we just not search for him?" Ragna asked, knowing the three siblings were all capable of searching the minds of people in a large area.

"I am afraid that if we do, we will be showing our hand. They might become aware of the fact that I am not dead," _Trin _responded with a worried look upon her face.

"But what if it isn't Thanos? What if it is someone else?" Ragna pointed out.

"I believe that is a chance we must take. It is risky, but at least we know someone else is here," _Trin _replied.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif had noted the exchange between one of the guards and Loki. She thought it odd, but quickly dismissed it from her mind as she headed down to the grand hall. Once there, she discovered she was just in time to prevent some of the workers from tossing all the table decorations.

"No! We are having the feast after all!" she shouted.

Several turned to stare at her. Finally one spoke up. "But, we were told to throw everything out. Has the King changed his mind?"

"Loki never canceled the feast or the festival. It shall go on as planned. There will be some minor changes to tonight's menu since the kitchen ovens were shut down, but rest assured, we shall have our festival." Sif noted the smiles on the faces as they heard they were not going to have to conduct some crazy training exercise in place of the festival.

One elderly lady finally spoke up. "But… if he did not cancel it, then who did?"

"We are not certain, but be on the watch. We believe there is someone within the city who is behind this… and other things. Do not make any changes without first coming to see me." Sif realized this was not full proof either, since the individual responsible had been able to impersonate not only Loki, but herself, in a rather convincing manner. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much they could do until they captured the person.

She left the grand hall to return to the kitchens to see if she could lend a hand. As she entered, she saw a flurry of activity as _Trin _and Ragna organized the staff into various tasks. She grinned, realizing she wasn't needed here. Leaving the kitchen area, she searched until she tracked down Fandral.

"My friend," Sif shouted across the room of one of the local pubs. "I thought you were to check on the music."

Fandral laughed, as he moved out of the embrace of two lovely ladies. "Indeed, and I have. My lovely friends here have assured me that everything will go as originally planned. It won't be quite like when Frigga organized the festival, but it will suffice. They both were familiar with the process, so there was not much for me to take care of. I wonder how the others are doing?"

"The kitchens are a madhouse, but I am certain _Trin_ and Ragna will make certain of a filling meal. You and I have taken care of our tasks, so that just leaves Hogun…"

"And I have successfully announced to one and all that we shall celebrate tonight as planned!" Hogun walked into the pub.

"I am concerned, though," Sif said.

"About?" Hogun asked.

"This imposter, the one who has pretended to be first me, and then Loki. Who could it be? Do you think it is Thanos?" Sif asked.

"Probably, or one of his henchmen. We need to be on the lookout tonight. If they discover that their plans have not made a difference, they are certain to try something else," Hogun replied.

"Agreed, but what? And, more importantly, what can we do?" Fandral asked. "We do not even know who it is, or what they look like."

Sif looked at her friends, concern on her face. "I fear they might try something, but what is their intention other than to stir unrest within Asgard? People are struggling to trust Loki as it is, it would not take much to cause a riot."

"I know. I wonder… if Loki knew about _Trin…" _Hogun broke off as several people entered the pub.

Sif glanced at the newcomers, noticing their excitement as they chattered about the reinstated feast. Lowering her voice, she replied to her friends. "I do not believe that is the answer, at least not until Thanos shows up. I agree with _Trin_ on this, Loki would kill her if he knew. Or at the very least, try to kill her. We must be ready for anything tonight."

Fandral nodded. "I agree. Even though weapons are usually frowned upon at feasts, we need to be prepared."

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

"You wished to speak to me, brother?" Thor asked once they were alone.

"Yes, I am curious. What do you believe is the intention of this imposter, or imposters? Could it be more than one?" Loki started to pace the room they had entered.

Thor considered the questions before replying. "I believe it is just one, but one who knows us very well. It seems they are trying to discredit us, or more correctly, you. Perhaps someone who is upset with the constant training?" He knew he was treading on thin ground, bringing up the training, but it seemed the most logical option.

Loki's eyes flashed angrily at Thor's response. "You are saying the people are upset that we are trying to protect them?"

"No, no, brother. Well… perhaps," Thor stalled. "I know that many feel we are overtraining; they require a break."

"The festival WAS to be the break!" Loki shouted as he stopped his pacing to face his brother.

"I know, but many are tired of it. Perhaps we need to stop for a while, longer than the festival?" Thor suggested.

"And what if we are attacked? If we are not prepared, will the people of Asgard be happy then? To face certain destruction?" Loki countered.

"We do not know that, brother. It has been over a year," Thor replied.

"A year! A year for them to plan. _SHE_ knows the city. When they attack, and they will, we must be ready. We cannot let our guard down," Loki was adamant as he spoke. "The one messenger is but the first. I am certain of that. We must be on our guard. But what you are suggesting is that it is the people of Asgard who are causing this current chain of events. Maybe we do need to cancel the festival."

"Brother, no! That will bring certain discord within the city. Do not even think to cancel it. We have taken steps to make sure it happens. We need to keep things as normal as possible," Thor tried to calm Loki down, hoping to reason with him.

Loki returned to his pacing. "Perhaps. I want you to check on it. Find out who is behind these impersonations. We must punish them so that it does not happen again."


	11. Chapter 11: Flashpoint

Chapter 11: Flashpoint

_Trin _and Ragna arrived at the great hall in time to watch the King and his brother enter. Thor and Loki walked proudly up towards the head table. As they passed the two women, Loki paused for a moment to stare at _Trin _briefly, then continued on. Once they were seated, everyone else moved to take their places.

_Trin_ and Ragna had been seated at a table fairly close to the front. As the first course was being brought out, a servant approached their table. "My lady?" he addressed _Trin. _

"Yes?" _Trin_ looked at him curiously.

"Heimdall has sent me. You have received a package from your father," the servant held out a small bag. "And he said to tell you the other one has arrived."

_Trin_ smiled. "Thank you, and thank Heimdall for me."

The servant bowed and retreated.

_Trin _peered in the bag, then smiled. "Interesting."

"What did he send?" Ragna asked.

"Just this." _Trin _held the bag open for her friend to see.

Ragna's eyes widened at the item the bag contained. "That is interesting."

The meal progressed pleasantly until a shout rang out from the back of the room. All eyes turned to see as _Katirya _and Thanos walked slowly through the banquet hall, sneering at everyone they passed. They finally reached the head table. Loki and Thor had risen, moving to stand in front of the table. Everyone in the grand hall had silenced, straining to hear anything that was said.

"Well, well…" _Katirya _smirked. "Look what we have here, my dear," she purred up at Thanos.

Thanos laughed. "It has never been clear to me exactly what you saw in him."

"Nothing, darling," _Katirya _laughed. "Absolutely nothing."

"What do you want?" Loki spoke through gritted teeth.

"Your surrender. Did you not get my message?" _Katirya _replied, a slight whine in her voice. "Are you getting forgetful in your old age?"

Thor placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Do not get angered, brother. She is only baiting you."

Loki glared at Thor for a moment, then nodded. "Which message?"

"Why, the one we sent a week or so ago. We were very nice offering you surrender rather than complete annihilation," Thanos finally spoke.

Loki nodded imperceptibly. Two guards suddenly moved toward the table at which _Trin _and Ragna were seated.

_Trin _swallowed hard as she noticed this move. "I do believe our presence is being requested up at the head table," she whispered to Ragna.

Ragna held back a smile. "Indeed."

Both women rose gracefully before the guards could arrive. Ignoring their intended escort, they walked directly towards the head table. The guards, startled by their actions, simply followed them.

"And what of your other messages? Were they not also important?" Loki asked.

_Katirya _looked at him curiously. "What other messages?" she asked bluntly.

"Your two minions here were a bit heavy handed in their actions, and they were not successful, as you can see from the feast," Loki swept an arm to indicate _Trin _and Ragna, who were now standing off to one side.

_Katirya _and Thanos turned to focus on the two women. "Who are these people?" _Katirya _finally asked.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that color," _Trin_ whispered rather loudly to Ragna, knowing full well that everyone could hear her.

_Katirya _flushed at the comment. "What do you mean? Who are you?" she demanded.

"You mean you do not know these women? If women they are?" Thor asked.

Sif paled as she saw movement at a side door. Her friend, the real Trin, was being escorted into the room. She risked a look at the Warriors Three, mouthing the words, '_We've got a problem'. _The three men darted a look towards the newcomer, noticing the startling resemblance to the real Trin that Katirya had created.

"Well, they certainly appear to be women," Thanos raked _Trin_ and Ragna with a scathing look. "What else would they be?"

"They are not your minions? Come forth to cause discord within Asgard?" Loki accused him.

"I know not who these two are," Thanos replied.

Loki motioned for the real Trin to be brought forward. "State your name, woman!"

"I am the Lady Trin, a good friend of the Lady Sif. I did not ask to come to Asgard, but your guards were rather insistent. They claimed it was for the good of the city," the real Trin responded.

"Then, if you are the Lady Trin," Loki rounded on _Trin, _"who are you?"

_Trin _smiled sweetly. "Who do you want me to be?"

"Who are you? We have had at least two known incidents in Asgard, one of which injured people. What other anarchy have you caused that still has not to come to light?" Loki demanded of her.

Thor grabbed Loki's arm before he could move. "Brother, do not do anything rash."

"Rash?" Loki stared at Thor. "These people are threatening Asgard!"

"I realize that, but we need to remain calm," Thor's voice was soft.

Loki took a deep breath, "You are correct." Turning to face Thanos and _Katirya _once more, he asked. "So you do not claim these two, or their actions?"

Thanos shook his head. "No, although it sounds as if I would enjoy their company."

Katirya took that moment of distraction to approach Loki.

"Stop right there, woman. State your name and your intentions!" Loki demanded.

"Well," _Trin _suddenly morphed into Hela. "Does this seem more like what you are expecting?" She moved closer to Loki, linking one arm through his pressing up against him. "I was rather hoping to have a bit more privacy with you. We could have _such _fun. You know how I love your, um, company," she said suggestively as she ran her fingers up and down his arm.

Ragna clasped a hand to her mouth, stifling laughter.

"Hela?" Loki struggled to escape _Hela's _grasp, finally slithering out of it.

"That cannot be Hela. She cannot leave Hel," Thor pointed out, though he was clearly not convinced, as the illusion was so accurate.

"So who are you?" Loki's voice was cold.

_Hela _rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. We have determined I am not Trin, since that is the real one," she pointed to the woman standing along the sidelines. "And that I am not Hela. So… I wonder could I be?"

_Katirya _and Thanos exchanged a shocked glance, clearly surprised that their threat was being completely ignored in favor of figuring out who this shape-shifter was.

"What does it matter?" _Katirya _finally screamed. "We are going to destroy you whether you figure out who she is or not, unless you are willing to surrender."

"Oh, yes," _Hela _purred. "I forgot about you, and your perceived threat," _Hela _focused on Thanos and _Katirya. _"The, um, what is it you are styling yourselves as now? Oh, yes, the King and Queen of the Universe," she mocked them. "But… " she gasped, "oh, my… you are missing your crown jewels?"

Thor and Loki exchanged a glance, then looked at Thanos and _Katirya. _"Yes, where are the Infinity Stones?" Thor finally asked.

"You are going to need them if you intend to rule the Universe," _Hela _said with a smirk.

"We do not need them! You are all pitiful creatures that we shall destroy!" Thanos shouted.

"Yes, why would we need to bring them here?" _Katirya _asked.

"Really, sister. You have to ask that question? I wonder that you even have them." _Kyrath_ now stood where _Hela _had been. "And I still say I would never be caught dead in that color."

_Katirya _stared incredulously at _Kyrath. _"What do you mean? And… and… you CANNOT be Kyrath!"

"Why ever not?" _Kyrath _asked innocently. "And pastels just do not do the complexion justice. Jewel tones, you would look much better in jewel tones." As _Kyrath_ finished speaking, she placed her index finger to her chin, and stared up at the ceiling. "Speaking of jewels," _Kyrath _continued to press the issue of the Infinity Stones, "aren't you missing something? A few gems? You are going to need them if you intend to destroy Asgard."

"WHO ARE YOU?" Loki's voice roared, disrupting the exchange between the two women.

"It appears to be Kyrath, my lord." Ragna's voice was filled with mirth, clearly enjoying the antics of _Kyrath._

"I already said it cannot be me," _Katirya _said, then clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said.

"Oh," _Kyrath _said. "So I am not you, either. Interesting." She noticed that Sif and the Warriors Three had moved closer to the head table while she had been toying with _Katirya _and Thanos, along with the brothers.

Thor stepped up to _Kyrath, _and grabbed her by the arm_. _"You clearly must be the one responsible for the recent events in Asgard. Guards, take her to the prison."

As the guards stepped forward, _Kyrath _suddenly morphed into Katirya, escaping Thor's grasp. Now there were two Katirya's standing by the head table. Thor's eyes widened.

"I do not think so," Katirya replied quietly. "I do not know who is responsible for those two actions, but it was not me."

_Katirya _gaped at her real sister. "It cannot be! I saw you die back on Hel! I sat watch over your dead body for weeks!" Her shrieks went to every corner of the hall.

Everyone was staring intently at the events playing out by the head table.

Katirya grinned cheekily at her sister. "Guess what? You're wrong. I did not die on Hel, despite what you and Thanos tried to do." Her gaze raked Thanos. "Where is Thanos? For this is definitely not him."

"I am Thanos!" Thanos shouted.

Loki's eyes had turned a glittering red, as he saw not one, but two Katiryas in front of him. Before anyone was able to stop him, he shot a blast of energy out at both women. The two Katiryas flew backwards, slamming into the wall. _Katirya _morphed into her real form of Kyrath as she hit the wall. Katirya simply slumped to the floor, unmoving.

Kyrath moaned as she started to sit up. She looked over to see her sister lying still. Scrambling across the short distance between them, she pulled out a small dagger and buried it in Katirya's back. As Katirya screamed in pain, Loki sent another blast towards them. This time, Katirya saw it coming and was able to put up a small defense against it. The blast simply bounced off her. Kyrath was not so fortunate, for as the blast hit her, her head slammed into the wall, knocking her unconscious.

Loki stared at the two women, "I do not know which of you is the real one, but… I… HAVE… HAD… ENOUGH!"

"Loki, stop it!" Ragna shouted as she moved to grab his arm.

"Who do you think you are, old woman?" Loki snarled, lashing out towards Ragna. His arm dropped as his face changed to complete astonishment, for he now found himself staring at his mother, Frigga. "Mother?" he spoke softly. "Mother? How can this be? I was told you died."

"Mother?" Thor echoed.

A gasp went through the hall.

"Yes, I am your mother," Frigga acknowledged. "And I know I raised you better than this," her arm swept towards where Katirya lay.

Thor and Loki turned to look in the direction Frigga pointed.

Fandral had been the first to reach the fallen woman. He was kneeling beside her, looking down with concern. "Call Eir!" he shouted.

Loki stared down at his mother. "She betrayed me! She deserves to die."

"She did not betray you, did you not just hear what Kyrath said?" Frigga implored her son. "Thanos thought he had killed her."

"Lies! It has all been lies!" Loki shouted. "Why would he kill her? She was helping him."

"I was there, mother. I saw her do it," Thor added firmly. "She betrayed both of us, used us to collect the Infinity Stones."

Frigga rolled her eyes. "You are both being stubborn fools. Katirya did not betray you."

"It doesn't matter, she was responsible for Thanos obtaining the Stones," Thor responded.

"Thanos does not have the Stones. If he did, he would have been here, taking Asgard for himself," Katirya, with the support of Fandral, rose from the ground. Leaning heavily against him for support, she turned her attention on Thanos. "And you are not Thanos, for you have not the powers of Thanos," she raised one hand, directing it towards the man. A beam of bright light streamed from her fingertips, hitting the man. He screamed once, then changed to reveal Hadriath as his true form.

Hadriath looked furiously at Katirya, hissing as he finally spoke. "You WITCH!" Then his face paled as he noticed the tiara that had appeared on Katirya's brow. Five stones glowed brightly, with one empty setting. "But… but… you destroyed the Stones."

"Oh, you were all meant to believe I destroyed them. I sent them somewhere instead," Katirya began, then looked at Loki, her expression softening. "And yes, I did make it seem as if I had betrayed you. It was the only way I could ensure you got out of there alive."

"You could not tell me your plan? You did not trust me?" Loki shouted back at her.

"Oh, I trusted you, but it needed to be something Thanos would believe. I…I did not think, if you knew, that you would be convincing enough," Katirya admitted. "Maybe there was another way, but…"

"You lied to me!" Loki roared.

Katirya's eyes glittered, "Yes, I lied to you. But you cannot claim to have never lied before. No one is perfect. I did what I did to protect you…"

"I did not require protection!" Loki cut her off mid-sentence.

"Truly? Did you know what Thanos had planned for you? For Thor? What he did to Jane was just the beginning. Could you read his mind like I could? He was so overconfident that he was going to succeed; he did not hide his thoughts. They were not pleasant," Katirya could feel waves of pain, but hid them as she continued to lean against Fandral. "Perhaps I acted rashly, but you survived. All of you."

"No, not all of us," Thor spoke.

"Jane, at least, still lives. Perhaps her quality of life is not the best, but while she lives, there is hope," Frigga spoke quietly.

"Hope? Have you seen her, mother?" Thor cried. "And what of Ian? He died that day! And my powers… gone! She was an instrument in this entire affair, if not the person responsible for the entire thing."

Katirya felt another wave of pain emanate from her back where the dagger was embedded, blood was starting to stream down her back. Her breathing became more labored, and she knew Fandral was getting concerned. "Give me a few more moments, please," she whispered to him.

"If you insist, but you need to get to the healers," Fandral replied.

Katirya looked back towards Loki. "I had hoped, when you realized that I did not betray you, that there might be some hope of reconciliation. I see I was wrong." Tears had started to fall from Katirya's eyes.

"Your tears are useless against me. I remember what happened that day," Loki spat back at her.

"Do you? Do you truly remember? Why did you not come back? YOU did not trust me!" Katirya shouted back.

"Come back? For what purpose? To see where you had managed to hoodwink me? Leave me looking the fool?" Loki accused her.

"You were never the fool, Loki," Katirya replied quietly, her cheeks wet. "Although there were times during that month, during the past year in fact, that I have wondered. Why did you believe I would turn against you? Did you not believe in my love for you? And even if you did not believe in that, neither of you came back at all. You left Ian there, and Thor's hammer."

"Ian was dead!" Thor bellowed. "And my hammer was taken from me."

"But you never came back to look. I know, because I was there for a month, while she watched over what she thought was my dead body," Katirya pointed to Kyrath, who along with Hadriath had been restrained by a cadre of guards.

"What was there to come back for?" Loki demanded.

Katirya lowered her head, shaking it, but saying nothing. She finally beckoned towards a servant.

"IAN!" Darcy's shout echoed throughout the hall.

All eyes turned to the back as Ian entered, racing towards Darcy. He lifted Darcy up in an embrace when he reached her, kissing and hugging her.

"Katirya told me you were alive!" Darcy finally spoke.

"I know," Ian replied. "She sent for me today. Heimdall told me what happened."

Loki glared at Katirya.

"I will not fight you, Loki. But I will defend myself against you. You cannot kill me, so I suggest you allow me to leave."

"You will go nowhere!" Loki commanded.

"You cannot keep me here," Katirya replied quietly, then nodded at Fandral.

Fandral turned, supporting Katirya as they exited the hall. The minute they were out of sight, she collapsed completely against him, weeping from both the emotional and physical pain. He picked her up and carried her to the healers.


	12. Chapter 12: Turning Point

Chapter 12: Breaking Point

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki nodded to several guards, who stepped forward at once. "Follow them, and when the healers are done, see that she is transferred to the prisons."

The guards departed, and Frigga stared at Loki in complete astonishment for several seconds before finally speaking. "You intend to put her in the prisons? For what? Saving your life?"

"She lied to me," Loki snapped.

"Well, that isn't the first time anyone has lied to you," Frigga pointed out, moving closer to her son.

"That is true," Loki replied coldly, staring at her.

Frigga did not lower her gaze, instead continuing to challenge Loki. "So for saving your life with a lie, she is to be condemned to prison?"

"It does not matter. As you said, she is not the first to lie to me. Odin lied, you lied…" Loki glanced at Thor. "Perhaps even Thor has lied to me.

"I have never lied to you, brother," Thor responded quickly.

Frigga shook her head, "No, I do not think you could lie, Thor. You were always the one who saw things as simply right or wrong. There was no in-between for you, while your brother… " she sighed before going on. "Loki, you have always been deep. Your intensity and passion have often brought you to a point that makes life difficult for you."

"So I am difficult, while my brother cannot lie?" Loki looked scathingly at Frigga. "Yet you have lied to everyone. You allowed us all to mourn your death, but you weren't dead."

"I did die. Malekith murdered me when I would not hand Jane Foster over to him," Frigga replied as she looked up overhead. "I have watched over you both since then."

"I do not understand, how are you here now?" Thor asked.

"I observed all that happened. As I watched from Valhalla, I saw no one return for Katirya, so I asked the Valkyries to allow me to return. She needed aid, and no one came. You did not return for your hammer," she looked pointedly at Thor, "And you, I wonder, Loki. How much did you love her?" Frigga answered quietly. "I have been with her since she left Niflheim."

"So you went to help her? You did not care what happened to us?" Loki accused her. He was feeling abandoned yet again by this woman who had proclaimed to be his mother.

"You required no assistance. You were doing quite well preparing your troops for the perceived invasion from your wife," Frigga challenged him back.

"She is NOT my wife!" Loki shouted. "And what of Odin? Are we to expect him to come waltzing back in here as well?"

Frigga shook her head, hurt in her eyes. "No, he still sleeps, even in Valhalla. He left it for too long, his Odinsleep."

"So you came back simply to help that woman? The one who lied to me, betrayed me?" Loki returned to his primary concern.

"Yes, I returned to help your wife, since you could not be bothered. She sacrificed her happiness that you could live. Do you even care about that? Does it not make you feel even a little for her? She knew you would most likely hate her based on her actions, but she held out hope that you might possibly be able to understand once you realized that she betrayed Thanos, not you. But even with the proof in front of your eyes, you refuse to see it," Frigga implored her son.

Frigga's impassioned speech fell on deaf ears. Loki could not get past the fact that the last thing he had seen was Katirya moving to help Thanos, with all six Stones. "She had the Stones, all of them. She gave them to Thanos."

Frigga stepped closer to Loki, meeting his glare with one of her own. "You are a fool! Did you not just witness what happened? Did you not hear or see? There are only five Stones; she has yet to find the sixth. Katirya's sister pretended to be her, coming here with another who pretended to be Thanos. Why do they need to pretend? SHE still has five of the Stones; the five you and your brother helped her to collect. She has never asked to be in this position…"

"Never asked to be in this position!" Loki cut her off. "She has always wanted to rule. Cartherion wasn't big enough; she came here with the intention of getting one of us to marry her that she might rule Asgard as well. With the Stones, she intended to rule the Universe! She has lied since I met her."

"Any lies your wife has told…"

"Mother!" Thor interceded. "You were not there, I do not care what you saw from Valhalla…"

"She is NOT my wife!" Loki interrupted. "How many times do I need to repeat myself? And you are NOT my…" Loki stopped shouting suddenly, his eyes clouding over in confusion. His mind flashed back to that day in the prison when he had been told Frigga had died. His last words to her had been what he had just been about to say. He had never thought he could take them back. He bowed his head, letting his breath escape him in a big sigh. He looked into Frigga's eyes finally, and reached for her hands. "You _are_ my mother. You may not have been my birth mother, but you were my mother in every other way."

"Loki," Frigga's gripped her son's hands tightly. "Kiri needs you. She did not ask to be who she is, but her birthright has forced her to this position. She needs your strength."

"MY strength? Surely you jest. That woman is a monster," Loki pulled his hands away from Frigga, turned on his heel and stalked out of the hall.

•∂• _**Darcy •∂•**_

Darcy had watched stunned as the events had unfolded before her. When Loki departed, she pulled Ian along behind her, moving towards Thor and his mother. She knew Fandral would make sure Katirya made it to the healers, although she was unaware of how badly injured her friend was. Katirya had managed to hide it rather successfully from everyone in the great hall.

"Wow, that was, like…" Darcy stood there with her mouth open. "I don't know, but Thor… I think you need to listen to your mother, and maybe have a talk with Loki."

"One does not simply have a talk with Loki," Thor smiled wryly.

"Well, you should probably think this through a little better. I mean, like, look at Ian," she grinned up at her boyfriend, "he's still alive, even though you all came back and said someone had murdered him. Maybe your hammer is still there."

"The hammer does not matter," Thor said.

"Doesn't matter?" Frigga gaped at him. "Do you truly expect me to believe that?"

Thor winced, "No, it does matter. But how can we be certain it is still there?"

"I think Kiri is right, no one can move it. At least, that was what she told us when we found her," Darcy answered.

"Where did you find her, and how?" Thor asked.

"Sif figured it out, and I guess Heimdall knew all along where she was living. She was on Earth, back at Sean's place. She really loved it there, said it was so peaceful and healing for her," Darcy explained.

"Heimdall knew?" Thor looked at Darcy incredulously. "And he told no one? I must tell Loki."

"Thor, no!" Darcy shook her head violently. "Do not, do NOT tell Loki."

"But, he must know. If we cannot trust our sentry, then who can we trust?" Thor asked.

"Leave Heimdall out of this," Frigga spoke up. "It will only anger your brother more. Heimdall was not completely certain of our location. He only knew when she moved. Her father and I provided protection to hide her once she arrived."

"Her father was involved as well?" Thor asked.

Frigga nodded. "Yes, he had something to do with my return as well. He couldn't be… bothered, to figure out the message Kiri sent him."

"What message did she send?" Thor asked.

"She sent him the Stones," Frigga revealed. "Kiri figured they would be safe with him…"

"But she has them!" Thor interrupted.

"Taneleer sent them to her today. She received them just before the feast began," Frigga clarified.

"Why would she send him the Stones?" Thor was confused.

Darcy replied, "She wanted them as far away from Thanos as she could get them. She figured her father would understand that she needed help. He didn't quite get it, well… I guess he did, but he wasn't about to go there, so he got Frigga to go. She brought Kiri back to him." Darcy was relieved Thor was at least listening to them. She didn't know if he believed everything, but she figured it was a start. Maybe if they could get him to understand, he might be able to reason with Loki.

As if reading Darcy's mind, Frigga laughed. "I do not believe Loki will listen to anything right now."

"Well, he will have to eventually! I mean, what if Thanos shows up? Without Kiri, Asgard will be destroyed," Darcy said.

"Asgard will not be destroyed. We have taken the necessary steps to prepare for this war," Thor assured her.

"You don't know Thanos like Kiri does. She has told me stories that just creep me out. I'm sorry, but you guys need Kiri. And wasn't he the dude that forced Loki to attack Earth?" Darcy asked pointedly. "What's to stop him from doing something like that again?"

"That was before, before Loki became King," Thor said.

"So because Loki is now King, this jerk can't control him again? Really?" Darcy looked at Thor skeptically. "I just don't get you or your brother. What does Kiri have to do to prove that she did not betray you? Die? And then what? Thanos will show up and destroy you guys anyway. Frigga is right, you _need_ Katirya."

"If she really did not betray us, why did she stay away? Why did she not come back here rather than running off to her father?" Thor asked reasonably.

Frigga and Darcy exchanged a quick look. Darcy debated if she should tell him about Kai, but then decided that was for Katirya to do. "She was injured. Badly injured from her battle with Thanos. Thanos thought he'd killed her, but just in case, he left Kyrath there to watch over the body. It was a month before Kyrath got bored and finally left."

"That was when I was sent to retrieve her," Frigga said quietly. "She was barely alive, so weak from the ordeal. I took her to her father. We stayed there for a few months, but his odd collection disturbed Kiri. She asked to leave."

"So then where did you go? Why not come here? Why did she not send a message?" Thor fired off his questions.

"Would Loki have listened? Look at him now. He is so certain that Kiri is guilty; he will not listen to reason. And she still needed time, time to heal." Darcy looked around, noticing many people were still standing around uncertainly. A few had started to clean up, but most were listening to the conversation going on.

"I feel there is more that you are not telling me," Thor looked pointedly at both women. "I will try to talk to Loki, but you are correct. He is certain that she is guilty. I am as well. I have seen what her sister has done, but I also saw what she did. Her choice to not communicate after the 'battle', that just does not seem logical. One would think she would be quick to contact us, to let us know she was all right. Instead she took off. That speaks of guilt."

Darcy shook her head sadly. "I guess you might see it that way, but I think you need to speak with her. Ask her these questions yourself." 

"I will consider this, Darcy Lewis. You have been a good friend to me," Thor replied. "For now, I shall check first on my brother, then on our various prisoners."

"So you consider Kiri a prisoner?" Frigga asked.

"You heard Loki. She is to be taken to the prisons as soon as they finish with her in the healers."


	13. Chapter 13: Breaking Point

**Author's Note: **_I do apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I teach high school, and school has started up for the year. I should be back to the 2-3 chapters a week shortly once the normal routine gets underway._

Chapter 13 – Breaking Point

• • _**Fandral•**____**•**_

Fandral raced to the healers, carrying Katirya in his arms and was met at the doors by Eir and three other healers.

"We have heard what happened. Let's see how bad it is." Eir directed him back to one of the rooms.

"She is in a tremendous amount of pain. I do not know how she managed to stay coherent, but they have no clue how badly injured she is," Fandral said as he followed the healer.

They reached the room, and Eir motioned for him to deposit the injured woman on the bed. Fandral gently laid her on her side.

Katirya moaned in pain, then stiffened and screamed.

Eir turned the Soul Forge on, while another healer inspected the dagger. "Do not attempt to remove it yet," Eir warned the healer. "I need to see what damage it has done."

She quickly inspected the wound, then focused on the internal damage as well. "We must remember to thank her sister."

"Thank her?" Fandral looked confused.

"Indeed, she managed to pierce the one vertebra that I was afraid of touching. It had fused so closely to the two next to it, that I was fearful of attempting to dislodge it. The blade has slice through it cleanly," Eir moved swiftly, calling for assistance.

"Well, at least some good came of it," Fandral replied.

"Fandral, if you could hold her shoulders…" Eir then began barking out orders to the other healers.

As the healers worked, Fandral gripped Katirya's shoulders, holding her as still as he possibly could. At one point she passed out, making it easier for the healers to work. They were almost finished when Darcy walked in, accompanied by Thor, Frigga and Katirya's brothers.

"Oh my god! Is she alive? Is that all from her?" Darcy asked, completely shocked at the amount of blood she saw.

"She was wounded pretty badly," Fandral explained. "I tried to get her to leave, but she wouldn't."

"She will be fine, I think," Eir responded. "We were able to readjust the spine, so the pain she had been in should be mostly gone. She will need considerable time to heal…"

"She will have plenty of time in the prisons," Loki's voice came from the doorway. He surveyed the room, then nodded to the guards. "See that she gets there at once."

"My King! You cannot move her now," Eir protested.

"I can and I will," Loki replied bluntly.

The guards swept past the healers, moving to the table. Eir, not to be deterred, pushed them back. "Get away from her!"

Loki reached out and knocked Eir away. "Take her now!"

"My King!" Fandral beseeched Loki. "She was gravely injured, not once but twice. She needs time to heal."

"That is her problem. It was her choice," Loki sneered.

"Fandral, let it be," Katirya spoke quietly. Her eyes focused on Loki as she slowly rose. "I have warned you. I will not be kept here. I will not fight you, but I will defend myself."

"Really?" Loki laughed. "So how gravely injured are you then? Shall we test that?"

"Why not?" Katirya challenged, her eyes turning glittering silver, meeting the brilliant red of Loki's eyes. With a flash, they both disappeared.

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

"Where did they go?" Darcy shouted.

Frigga let out her breath with a huge sigh. "Thor?"

Thor looked at his mother quizzically. "Yes?"

"Have they ever had an argument? Since they've been married I mean?" Frigga asked.

"No, at least, not that I know of. They did argue when she first arrived, when Kiri lied. But why do you ask this, mother?" Thor's face showed complete confusion at the odd question.

"Oh, just curious because I think they are about to have one," Frigga replied. "And what precisely did she lie about?"

"Well, it was more lies of omission rather than blatant falsehoods, but she still did not tell us the entire truth. It took a lot to get it out of her," Thor explained.

"An argument?" Fandral looked at Frigga. "Somehow I do not believe I would want to argue with either one of them."

Thor laughed. "I agree with you on that one. Loki can be most difficult if he wants to be, and from what I have seen of Katirya, she is not going to sit down quietly, even though she is wrong."

"Neither one is right or wrong completely," Frigga pointed out. "They both are proud, arrogant, stubborn, and they each believe they are right. I do not foresee either admitting that they have been wrong in any part of this fiasco of the past year. Kiri should have been in touch much sooner. I am fully cognizant of why she wasn't, but it still does not excuse the fact that she purposely chose to stay away. And Thor," she turned her attention to her eldest, "You and Loki acted foolishly. I still cannot believe you did not even attempt to return to retrieve your hammer. Instead the pair of you hid back here in Asgard waiting for an attack. That is so unlike you."

Thor frowned. "Mother, attacking is not always right. That is one thing I did learn from Father. We simply were preparing for an attack."

"Really?" Frigga stared hard at him. "I do not believe your father would have '_simply_' sat here in Asgard if he knew someone was preparing to attack. Did you send out any reconnaissance missions? Try to find Thanos or Katirya? Learn what they were doing, whether or not Katirya was a part of it? I realize you were unaware of the fact she wasn't, but that still does not excuse your actions. Hiding is so unlike you, my son."

Thor looked down first, then raised his eyes to meet Frigga's. "You are right. We did assume that they were going to attack. But, Mother, why, if you were able to return did you choose to go to Kiri and not your sons? That is something I do not understand at all."

Frigga considered the question carefully before answering. "I did consider it, but both you and Loki at the very least had each other, not to mention your many friends. Who did Kiri have? She was alone with no one to help her…"

"That is her own fault!" Thor interrupted. "If she had simply told at least one of us what she was planning to do, none of this would have happened?"

"None of this? And how was she to know what was going to happen? She is not all-knowing, and neither are you," Frigga snapped at Thor. "What if it had been you in her place? How would you have acted? Would you have simply allowed Thanos to destroy your brother?"

"But she knew what he was going to do!" Thor argued back. "You have said so yourself."

"Oh, she knew, but not until Thanos arrived. She had no clue prior to that. She knew as much as Loki did. They had a rudimentary plan, but nothing definite. When she discovered what was happening, she made a choice. Perhaps not the best choice, but the only one she could think of at the time. In a moment of battle, we do not always make the wisest decisions, but I would hope we act in the best interests of those around us. You, Loki, Erik, Ian, and Jane all survived, did you not? You condemn her for your survival? That is so unlike you, Thor," Frigga moved to stand before her son. "So, what would you have done?"

"I… I do not know, but I would never have betrayed my brother," Thor replied.

"So you would allow all to perish, rather than pretend to betray Loki? No one would have survived that battle; Thanos was out to destroy all of you. He had a trap set and Kiri's quick thinking managed to get you all out of there alive. She barely survived herself," Frigga reminded him.

"So, how did she get us out?" Thor asked, suddenly suspicious of that fact. "How did Heimdall know to send for us? And why leave her?"

Frigga sighed. "Before leaving Asgard, Heimdall was asked…"

"So she KNEW! Why else speak with Heimdall?" Thor pounced on the comment.

"She did not know what was going to happen, and it was your brother who asked him to watch and help if he could. Katirya did shout his name right before you were retrieved. Did you not hear that?"

"I heard nothing," Thor answered truthfully. "Although it was not exactly quiet. I suppose it is possible she did call out to him. But why did Heimdall leave her behind?"

"Thor, really? I thought you were there. Thanos had Kiri, and Heimdall could not bring one without the other," Frigga explained.

"You still have not answered my question, Mother. Why did you go to her? We are you sons, she is nothing to you."

"You truly think that? She is as much my daughter as you are my son. She married one of my sons and her child is my grandson."

"So she was truly pregnant? It was not a story she made up?" Thor asked.

"Why would she make up such a tale? Did you and your brother really not believe that?" Frigga looked at Thor, confused about this topic. 

"Well, it was rather soon after their marriage that she announced it. It seemed almost too sudden. We figured she made it up," Thor replied.

"So you question your brother's virility?" Frigga quickly smothered a smile.

Thor shook his head. "It seemed almost too perfect in terms of timing. Something to keep Loki from realizing what she was up to."

"But she wasn't up to anything!" Frigga sighed heavily. "She was content being the wife of Loki. Were you all so blind to that?"

"She did seem rather happy," Thor admitted. "But she was also focused completely on finding all the Infinity Stones. Why did her sister say she destroyed them? She clearly had them back in the grand hall earlier tonight."

"She only pretended to destroy them. She sent them to her father, hoping he would realize she was in trouble and needed help. The only problem there was that he did not understand the message. He just added them to his exhaustive collection. It was only after I returned and brought her to him that he finally understood," Frigga's tone of voice was scathing, leaving no doubt as to her opinion of the man. "She had no one to help her. She was alone until I came back."

"So why go to her father? Why not return here?" Thor persisted. "And she was truly pregnant?"

"Would that have been wise, knowing how Loki would react?" Frigga pointed to where the couple had been before they disappeared. "You just saw what happened, it would only have been worse at that moment. She was badly injured and pregnant."

"Loki would have been compassionate. He would have sought help for her with the healers," Thor replied. "And what happened to the baby?"

"She was very uncomfortable around her father's collection. She finally decided to leave. I tried to convince her to come here to have her baby, but she felt she wasn't ready. We had a bit of an argument about that," Frigga spoke ruefully as she recalled that argument. "As to the child, Eir?" she called out for the healer.

"Aye, my lady, I shall go get the wee one, then shall I?" Eir had been standing quietly in the background.

"Please, I think he would like to meet his uncle," Frigga smiled.

Eir left the room, returning in a few minutes carrying a small bundle. "Here we are," she was grinning at the face of the infant. She walked over to Thor, presenting the child to him.

Thor stared down at the small child. He frowned, uncertain what to do.

"Go ahead, take him. He won't bite you," Frigga said with a laugh.

"But what if I drop him?" Thor was hesitant still.

Eir arched one eyebrow at Thor, "You will have to answer to Katirya if you drop him. Not something I would relish having to do."

Thor's eyes widened.

Eir extended her arms, holding the baby out. "Here you go, meet your uncle." 

Thor finally accepted the infant, holding him gingerly. He peered down at Kai's face, pulling the blanket slightly away. He cocked his head first one way, then the other, before finally pronouncing, "He looks like Loki."

A loud laugh erupted in the room. "That's what everyone keeps saying," Fandral spoke up.

"Kiri feels Loki will argue that," Darcy chimed in.

"I do not see how," Thor was staring down in wonder at the tiny infant. "He looks so much like my brother did when he was this age."

"I am surprised you remember that," Frigga chuckled. "Now, Eir?"

"Yes?" the healer replied.

"How badly was Kiri injured this time?" Frigga asked for clarification.

"Well, it was a bad wound, fairly deep, but it was good if that's possible. Managed to allow us to fix the primary issues she was having. She needs some time to heal, but I do not believe she is getting that right now," Eir pointed out the obvious.

"No, indeed," Frigga sighed heavily. "If you could get some salve prepared, and send it up to Loki's rooms."

Eir smiled, a twinkle in her eyes as she understood what Frigga was thinking, "I shall. Anything else?"

"Yes, could you also see if Magda could include a few bottles of a good wine, and perhaps a light meal," Frigga added.

"Mother?" Thor looked utterly confused. "Why would my brother require healing salve, some wine and a meal?"

"Ah, Thor. Clearly you have never been passionately in love with someone," Frigga began.

"Are you saying I do not love Jane Foster?" Thor interrupted.

Frigga shrugged. "I think your feelings for her are not complete. Maybe she will be the one to inspire passion in you, and perhaps not, but Kiri inspires Loki to high levels of emotions. You have seen how he has been over the past year; his anger has been intense, just as his love for her was. If they manage to settle their differences tonight, I can assure you that they will both make good use of items I am sending up."

"So you are saying Loki is in love with Kiri still?" Thor asked.

"Precisely, although right now he would rather kill her than admit it. Hate and love are very strong, opposing emotions, but related nonetheless. Your brother hates Kiri right now. She does deserve it, to some extent, but I have a feeling they will work it out," Frigga replied, a wistful smile upon her face. "I recall several such arguments your father and I had over our lifetime. Unless I am gravely mistaken, Loki will appreciate the small gifts I am sending up." 

Thor still looked confused, but decided to accept her decision. "So what are we to do?"

Frigga laughed. "One day you will understand. Why don't we head out to the gardens for some fresh air? Do you mind carrying Kai?"

Thor stared down at the child once more. "Actually, I do not mind. I think I rather like him."

"Well, let us hope that Loki does as well."


	14. Chapter 14: Engage

Chapter 14: Engage

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

The blinding flash surprised Loki at first, then he realized Katirya had used some of her magic to whisk them out of the room. He found himself teetering on the edge of one of the cliffs of Asgard. He struggled to maintain his balance, noticing a waterfall off to his right. The falls spilled into a small pool before finally flowing over the edge of the cliff.

Katirya glared at him. "You were saying?" She crouched down, as if ready to pounce, never taking her eyes off him.

Loki felt a strange sense of power unlike any he had experienced before. He wondered briefly at it, but suddenly was hit by an attack from Katirya. He found himself staggering backwards. Regaining his feet, he shot a blast of energy back at her and watched as she flew into the pool at the base of the waterfall.

"You! You!" she spat at him as she stood and walked out to the shore.

Loki laughed, staring at the dripping form of his former wife. He found himself strangely attracted to her, as the water had completely soaked the gown she was wearing and it hugged every curve of her body. He tried to remind himself that he hated her, but the soaking-wet figure storming towards him was making it difficult.

Katirya raised a hand, and he found himself on a direct trajectory over the edge of the cliff. He reached out with his hand and flew towards a rock near the top of the waterfall. Grabbing it with one hand, he pulled himself up to the top. Suddenly he rediscovered his anger. Staring down at her, he shot another blast of energy towards her.

Katirya's eyes flashed as she dodged the light, then disappeared.

Loki's head swiveled around, trying to find her. She suddenly was standing right next to him. He frowned, realizing she was able to move across planes readily. That little trick was going to make it difficult. He reached out and grabbed her arms, pulling her close. "You are going to the prison. It appears you have healed rather quickly."

"I am going nowhere with you!" she shouted back at him. "I have had enough of your foolish ideas that I have betrayed you. The proof was right in front of you, yet still you believed it. WHY?"

"I saw what you did!" Loki shouted right back.

Katirya rolled her eyes, twisting as she tried to escape.

Loki pulled her closer.

"You cannot make me stay here," she hissed in a low voice.

"I can and I will," Loki replied with certainly.

"Good luck with that," Katirya said before vanishing.

Frustrated at her disappearance, Loki tried to think where she might have taken off to when he suddenly found himself inside the city once again. He was standing in a courtyard off the main stables. He wondered how he had gotten here, and more specifically, why this spot? Again, he thought about the strange sense of power he was feeling. A rider-less horse burst out of the stables, almost running him down and interrupted his thoughts. He decided Katirya was probably inside.

Entering cautiously, he stood in the doorway, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"I refuse to listen to you and you cannot keep me here, so go away," Katirya's voice came from one of the stalls.

He peered in to see her saddling up her mare. "No matter where you go, I will find you and haul you back here and put you in the prison."

"For what? Saving your sorry life?" Katirya shot back at him.

"I did not require saving," Loki entered the stall and grabbed her around the waist.

"Put me down!" She twisted in his arms and disappeared once again.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya attempted to hide her mind from Loki. She knew if he tried, he could probably find her. There was something going on between them that was confusing her. He had been able to use the Stones during the past few minutes as she had felt his mind controlling them at times during the recent encounter. She needed a few moments alone to think.

She had moved to the gardens. Searching, she found a quiet pavilion and took a seat. and considered her options. He was mad, but right now his anger was nothing compared to hers. She was tired of trying to explain herself to him and his brother. She considered her options.

As she continued to wait, she suddenly realized this was the pavilion she had been in when she had given Sif advice. Her mind flashed back to that day.

"_Do not waste yourself wanting something that you cannot, or might not ever have."_

She considered her words to Sif then, and realized they were very apropos to her situation right now. Loki wanted nothing to do with her. She had not wanted to come back here, but Frigga had always been pushing her to return. When Sif and the others arrived, it had seemed inevitable. She had known it would not be easy, but she had never imagined that when presented with proof positive that she had not betrayed him, that he would understand and all would be well. She sighed heavily as she realized that had all been a dream. She highly doubted he would ever trust her again.

That realization helped her to make up her mind. Rising, she headed back into the palace going towards the healers. She had left Kai there. She decided to collect him and leave. She wasn't sure where she would go, but she knew she had to get away from here.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki snarled when he realized she'd taken off again. Wondering where she had gone, he raced out of the stables and stared down the narrow streets. A flash of blue, the color of the gown she had been wearing caught his eye as it darted around a corner. He took off after it. As he rounded the corner, he almost ran into a young woman.

The woman's eyes widened when she realized who had almost run her over. "I'm so sorry…"

Loki cut her off. "Did you see Katirya? Just now?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Damn! Where is she now?" He whirled around, heading back towards the stables.

"Wait!" he muttered to himself. "What am I doing? I can probably find her…" his mind started to search for her, and he suddenly found himself standing outside the healers once more. _"How did I get here?"_ he wondered. He had never learned to do this trick. He thought back to the fight that had begun at the waterfall just a short time ago. He realized he had accomplished things he had never been able to before. Why was this?

He heard footsteps coming towards him. Ducking back into a dark corner, he waited.

Katirya came into view heading directly towards the healers. He stepped out from the shadows to confront her. "What? Coming back here to hide?" he taunted her.

Katirya stopped and stared at him. "No, I am just coming to collect something and then leave. I will not trouble you any longer. Good luck dealing with Thanos. You do not have any idea what you are up against. Now, if you will just step aside…"

"No, I told you that you are not to leave."

"Why? So you can gloat over me? I'm sorry, but that will not happen. I have no intentions of remaining here, and as I have continually told you, you cannot keep me here…"

"Where are you going to go? Run back to your lover Thanos?"

"He is NOT my lover!" Katirya spat back at him, her anger rising once more. "Now, get out of my way."

"Or what?" Loki prompted. "And what were you coming to collect?" He was suddenly suspicious. Why was she back here? What would the healers have for her?

"Just something I left for safekeeping," Katirya's anger dissipated as swiftly as it had appeared as she thought about Kai. "Listen, you do not wish to believe anything I say, so I am just going to leave. You will not have to trouble yourself about me anymore. In your mind, I betrayed you, even though the proof was standing in front of you back at the feast."

"You were pretending to be someone else!" he shouted back at her.

She winced as she heard that. "Only until I felt it was safe," she finally countered. "When my sister showed up pretending to be me, I figured you might finally see the truth, but you couldn't see the truth if it hit you in the face!" She pushed past him and entered the healers.

"My lady!" One of the healers gasped when she saw who had entered.

"Where is Kai?" Katirya demanded.

"He just left with Thor," the healer replied.

"Thor?" Katirya looked at her, completely confused.

"Who is Kai? Your new lover?" Loki sneered.

Katirya whirled around to face him. "No, MY son!"

"So you were pregnant? You thought to pass Thanos's spawn off on me?"

"He is not Thanos's son! But then, I don't expect you to believe me," she turned back to the healer. "Where did they go?"

"The gardens, I believe. At least, that is what I overheard them say," the healer replied.

Katirya turned and pushed past Loki once again. He followed her out of the healers. "So, whose child is it?"

She rounded on him, punching him in the chest with both fists. "I HATE you! How could you ask a question like that? I was innocent until I met you!"

He noticed tears filling her eyes but ignored them as he grabbed her, pulling her close. "How? That's easy. You lied from the moment you arrived here."

His mind thought of the prisons, and suddenly the pair were whisked out of the healers, arriving in the corridor outside the cell containing Kyrath and Hadriath. He grinned, delighted at the outcome. For a brief moment he wondered how they had ended up here, for he did not think Katirya would bring him here.

"Excellent, right where I want you," Loki motioned for the guards to open the cell.

"You cannot keep me in there!" Katirya squirmed in his arms, struggling to escape his hold unsuccessfully.

"It seems that I can," Loki entered the cell the instant the guards opened it up.

Kyrath and Hadriath rushed the door, trying to escape. The guards stopped them immediately, forcing them back inside.

Loki dropped Katirya on the floor, laughing at her. "This is where you shall remain for the rest of your miserable life."

Katirya lay on the floor for several seconds, then she looked up at Loki. "You cannot keep me here. These walls cannot contain me. You have the proof in front of you that I did not betray you, yet still you believe I did?"

"Proof? What proof? That your sister is here?" Loki snarled.

"Yes, my sister, HALF-sister, is here. Does it not seem strange that she showed up pretending to be me? Did you not wonder when I finally appeared?" Katirya asked.

"You didn't appear. You were hiding," Loki snapped. "Pretending to be someone else. Why should I believe you?"

Kyrath started cackling with laughter. "You are so full of yourself, sister. How are you going to get out? Use that magic you always said you had?" She leaned down and sneered in Katirya's face.

Tears filled Katirya's eyes, threatening to spill out. She remained on the floor. Loki wondered at that.

"Going to cry again?" Kyrath mocked Katirya. "You always were such a crybaby."

Katirya ignored Kyrath, and finally moved to get up.

"I don't think so," Kyrath pushed her back down. "I rather like seeing you there. If I'm going to be stuck in here, I'm going to enjoy this. At least until Thanos gets here."

"Thanos will not help you," Katirya said softly. "You are a fool if you believe so."

"Well, he sure isn't going to help you," Kyrath chortled. "You are useless. I still don't know why they wanted you to marry him. I was the much better choice! And for your information, he married me!"

"You know him not," Katirya replied, then looked at Kyrath. "He married you? I do not believe it."

"He will give me everything I want," Kyrath shouted. Then she noticed the Stones set in the tiara. "Starting with this!" She reached out to rip the tiara off Katirya's head only to find herself flying backwards.

"Stay away from me," Katirya spoke warningly as she scrambled across the floor away from Kyrath.

"Why?" Kyrath rose up from where she'd fallen. Brushing herself off, she advanced once more towards her sister. "I want those Stones, and you are going to give them to me. Thanos will be so proud of me when he gets here and sees that I have them."

The guards stepped forward to restrain Kyrath. As they did, Loki suddenly realized the cell they were in was the same one he had been held in following his fiasco on Earth. He remembered his thoughts about his mother after he'd learned of her death, and his memory of his first meeting with Katirya. Little had he known that day that Katirya was about to reappear in his life.

Kyrath's words were finally starting to register with him, and he realized that Katirya had been telling the truth since she'd returned. He looked down at the woman lying on the ground, only now he saw the child she had been when he first met her, as his mind flashed back to that moment.

_He sat on the ground next to Kiri. Using his sleeve, he wiped her tears. "I am sorry they were so mean to you." It brought to mind his brother and his friends. They mocked him on the practice field. _

"_I DO know magic. I do, I do, I do," she insisted, sniffling a little. _

"_I believe you," he said, although he really didn't. He remembered her mother stating that very fact before they had started his lesson. But he knew what it was like to be picked on. Thor and his friends were always teasing him; he simply did not excel with battle skills. Even Sif was better than he was. _

"_No, you don't," Kiri was staring at him._

He suddenly had a feeling that she could read his mind. "Well, it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Yes, it does. I do know magic. They just don't believe me. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, 'cause I'm the most powerful child ever. One day, they will be sorry. I will be Queen, and they will have to do what I tell them, or else!" She looked at him, and then spoke quietly. "But you must not tell anyone. We must keep it secret."

_He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not, but he had an inspiration. "I know what, when we both grow up, we can get married. I will be King and you can be my Queen. Then no one will ever bother you again!"_

_She appeared to consider it. "But do you believe me?"_

_Realizing how important it was to Kiri, he nodded. "I do. Deal?"_

"_Yes, we will get married, and I shall be your queen and no one will ever push me down again."_

Loki sat on the cell floor next to Katirya. Pulling her into his lap, he whispered into her ear. "I do not know whether to kiss you or kill you."

Startled, she looked up at him. "What?"

"I just remembered, that day when I met you."

"What does that have to do with all this?" Katirya asked.

"Do not tell me you have forgotten," he chided her.

"I never forgot…" she frowned, then whispered softly, "but… I thought you had."

"I guess I did, but something just reminded me," Loki replied. "I did not believe you that day. I told you that I did, but I thought you were making it all up. I didn't think it mattered, but it was important then, just as it is now."

"So… you just realized I am telling the truth now?" Katirya's back stiffened in anger. "After all this?" Her arm swept towards where Kyrath was being held. "And now you cannot decide whether to kiss me or kill me?"

Feeling her anger, he chuckled softly. "Yes, do you realize what you have put me through this past year? The emptiness I have felt?"

"And I have felt nothing? What I had to live with was…"

He stopped her midsentence with a kiss. At first she fought him, then she succumbed to the passion and responded back, her arms wrapping around his neck. He lifted his lips from hers, then kissed the top of her head gently.

Katirya closed her eyes, then leaned into him. "Just hold me."

He could feel the warmth of her body as it pressed against him. Once again, he felt an odd sensation of power, then it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a sense of calmness like he had never felt before.


	15. Chapter 15: Resilience

Chapter 15: Resilience

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor watched the infant with a bemused look as Kai crawled around the garden. The tiny infant amazed him. He briefly wondered if he would ever have children, which brought his thoughts immediately to Jane Foster and her current condition. He sighed heavily.

"What bothers you, my son?" Frigga asked.

"Nothing," Thor remained silent for several minutes before finally admitting, "Everything. I… do not know how to explain it."

"I think I understand," Frigga spoke quietly. She reached down to turn Kai back toward the center of the open space they had wandered to.

"It is hard to believe that Kai is Loki's son, that my brother even has a son," Thor commented.

"A son he has yet to meet," Frigga reminded him.

Thor glanced around, seeing the others had wandered off leaving him alone with Frigga. They were still within sight, but clearly were giving him time alone with his mother.

"Mother, do you think Jane will ever return to normal?" Thor finally asked.

"I do not know, although Kiri said she might be able to help. She spent some time with Eir earlier today discussing Jane's condition, although she did not speak of it. I know Kiri is still uncertain of the extent of her powers. The injuries she sustained back on Nifleheim shook her confidence," Frigga answered.

"How powerful is she?" Thor asked, curious as he had noticed Katirya once again had the Stones with her. "Do the Stones augment that power?"

"She does not need them, but they do increase her abilities. In her mind, she feels that she does not have the ability to defeat Thanos on her own. Her family continually tried to control her as she was growing up, managing to undermine her confidence. If Greiwaldt had not taken an interest in her, she would now be married to Thanos and not your brother," Frigga replied.

Thor considered the answer before commenting. "So she does not even know the extent of her abilities. Interesting. Can her father help?"

Frigga shook her head. "Taneleer has no interest in her beyond the fact that she is his daughter. He is more focused on his insane collection. Kiri is just one more piece to add as far as he is concerned."

A guard appeared at the edge of the garden. Spying Thor, he headed towards him. "My lord," he began. "There is a... um, or seems to be, a problem."

"A problem?" Frigga arched one eyebrow at the uncertainty of the guard.

Thor glanced at her, suspecting she had an idea what the guard was talking about. "What kind of problem? Obviously you feel it is serious enough to seek me out."

"Yes, in the prisons. It is your brother, the King."

"My brother? What is he doing in the prisons?" Thor asked, wondering if this was where Loki and Katirya had gone.

"Well, not just your brother, but the Queen as well. They are causing a slight disturbance," the guard said.

Frigga laughed aloud. "A _slight _disturbance?"

Slightly embarrassed, the guard nodded. "Aye, well, actually more than a slight disturbance. The King is trying to lock the Queen up with her sister."

"That won't go over very well," Thor grinned at his mother. "I know that much at the very least. Kiri is not overly fond of Kyrath. I suppose we ought to see if we can sort things out." He reached down and scooped up Kai. "Come along, young man. I believe it is time you finally met your father." He called out for the others to join them, and they headed towards the prisons.

Entering the prison, the silence surprised Thor. He wasn't sure what he had expected. The first thing he spotted was Kyrath, restrained by three guards, while another two had cornered Hadriath in the one cell. At first he did not see Loki, but as he walked closer, he finally saw him sitting on the floor of the cell with Katirya in his lap.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki stared at Katirya as she nestled against him. She looked exhausted, more tired than he would expect her to after their fight. He felt a warm wetness on her back. He ran his hand along it then brought it up to inspect it, discovering it was blood. The wound she had received earlier clearly had opened up and she was bleeding once more. He adjusted his hold on her and rose gracefully. She barely stirred, simply sighing softly.

He noticed movement outside the cell and saw his brother along with the others had arrived in the prisons. He turned away from them to address the guards about Kyrath and Hadriath. "See that they are separated, as far apart as possible."

Katirya's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Loki and smiled. "Hello."

He laughed. "Hello? That is the best you can do after all that?"

She squirmed slightly in his arms, then somehow managed to get even closer to him, closing her eyes once more. "We need to talk."

"That, my dear, is an understatement. But first, we must attend to that wound again. It appears to have broken open," Loki walked to the exit. He was about to head out when Hadriath rushed him. One of the guards tripped Hadriath before he could reach Loki.

"You cannot keep us here. We have done nothing to deserve this treatment. You will be sorry when Thanos finds out!" Hadriath shouted from the floor.

"I am really tired of hearing about what is going to happen if Thanos ever decides to show his face in Asgard. I am beginning to wonder if he exists anymore," Loki snapped back.

"Oh, he is alive. You just wait…" Hadriath snarled.

"Wait? I have been waiting for over a year and he has yet to make an appearance," Loki replied. "I have had enough waiting. Now you shall remain here until I decide what is to happen to you."

Carrying Katirya out of the cell, he headed towards Thor. He was halfway to his brother when he noticed the infant his brother was holding. "Kiri?" He jostled her slightly.

"What?" Katirya blinked, then opened her eyes again.

"I have a question," Loki replied, suddenly nervous, a feeling he was not overly familiar with.

"A question?" Katirya looked up at him quizzically, noting the odd way he was acting. This wasn't the Loki she knew. "What question?"

"Well, my brother has just arrived…" Loki paused, not finishing his sentence

"He has? What does that have to do with your question?" Katirya prompted.

"Well, he is carrying a child in his arms," Loki said.

Katirya's face suddenly lit up, all signs of exhaustion leaving her face. "Kai!"

Loki was afraid to ask the question weighing heavily on his mind. Was this child his? He recalled Katirya had insisted the child was not the son of Thanos, and he knew their encounter on Earth at Sean's had been her first. But he was still afraid to ask, afraid the answer would not be him. But who else could it be, he wondered?

Katirya wiggled in his arms. "Put me down. You need to meet your son. If you do not like the name, we can always change it, he is still so young that he doesn't know it yet, but it seemed to fit him. He has been such a brave boy, although he probably does not know that either. And everyone agrees that he looks just like you," she babbled on, not noticing his expression as she was focused solely on her son.

Loki set her down, his posture rigid, fearful of revealing that he truly hoped this was his son.

The instant her feet hit the ground, she was running towards Thor. Thor awkwardly handed her the infant, still uncertain on how to properly carry a child. The baby cried for a second until he realized it was his mother, and then he quickly found what he was looking for, and began nursing. Katirya clutched the child to her breast while he fed, a contented look upon her face. As she walked back towards Loki, he realized the dress she was wearing was different from her usual garb, and now he understood the reason why. It allowed her to discreetly feed her son. She smiled at him, her face radiating the joy she felt at finally being able to present the child to his father.

When Katirya reached him, Kai was still enjoying his meal. Loki stared down at the infant, watching him intently. When the baby was finally satisfied, Katirya adjusted the front of her dress, then held the child out for inspection. "Your son."

Loki continued to look at Kai, uncertain what to say. He had not been there when Kai had been born, but the child was still young enough not to recognize that fact. He raised his eyes to Katirya's, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"You cannot tell me that you do not believe he is your son," Katirya started.

"No, it is not that, I… just," Loki paused. "I do not know what to say."

"Brother?" Thor roared with laughter. "I cannot believe I just heard you say that." Several others joined in the laughter, then quieted as they continued to watch the couple.

"Fortunately, he doesn't speak yet, so I wouldn't worry what you say to him, but here," she held Kai out. "Hold him."

Loki gingerly accepted the infant.

"He won't break," Katirya told him with a laugh.

Holding the young child, Loki carefully inspected him, looking for any sign that Kai was not his son. Finally he realized he was overanalyzing the entire situation. He knew there was no chance the child belonged to anyone but him. A soft smile teased the corners of his mouth. "I see that. He is rather substantial, is he not?"

"He eats like there is no tomorrow!" Katirya replied with a grin. Then she wrinkled her nose. "And then there is that," she laughed.

"That?" Loki looked at her, completely confused until a distinct odor began to emanate from the baby. "Oh."

Katirya reached out to take Kai from him. "Come along, it appears you need to be changed."

A young healer who had been following after Thor and the others stepped forward. "Here, I can take care of him for you, my lady."

Katirya hesitated. "I can deal with him…"

Noticing Katirya's reluctance, Loki encouraged her. "Go ahead, that will allow us a some time to have that little talk."

Katirya nodded as she handed Kai to the healer. "It's just been Frigga and me taking care of him. I'm not accustomed to help. What is your name?" she directed the last question to the young healer.

"Hlif, my lady. I shall see to him and bring him up to your rooms once he has been cleaned up," Hlif responded.

Satisfied, Katirya nodded, clearly grateful for the assistance.

Loki looked at Hlif. He did not recognize her, but then he did not know everyone. She was dressed in the dark brown dress that all the healers wore. Her long blond hair was twisted into an intricate braid. Her looks were not stunning, but she was pretty in a gentle sort of way. "Bring him up to my rooms," he ordered.

Katirya raised one eyebrow. "Your rooms?"

Loki nodded, "Indeed." Glancing over towards his brother and the others, "Now, I do hope you will all excuse us, but we have to settle a few things…"

Thor grinned. "Only a few? I think you shall find it an interesting tale."

"Tale, is it?" Loki looked from Thor to Katirya.

"Excuse me, I happen to be standing right here. I can hear what you are saying. You are not entirely innocent in all this," Katirya said sharply, fire flashing in her eyes.

Loki shot Thor a sharp glance, then chuckled. "Perhaps more than a few, but first…" he grabbed Katirya around the waist and pulled her close. "You, my lady, have a lot to answer for."

Katirya's mouth gaped open. Before she could say anything, Loki's mouth descended on hers, kissing her soundly. He felt her arms wrap around his neck as she melted into the kiss, her body pressing into his. This only increased the intensity of his kiss. When he finally lifted his head, she sighed softly as her knees gave out. With a whimper, her eyes closed and she started to slide. He grabbed her tightly, lifting her up as he realized the extent of her exhaustion. The appearance of Kai had given her a rush of adrenaline, but that had dissipated. It was clearly time to get her somewhere she could rest, then he would find out the answers to his questions.


	16. Chapter 16: Rapport

Chapter 16: Rapport

• •_**Frigga•**____**•**_

Frigga watched as her youngest son departed with his wife, then corrected that thought. Loki had put Katirya aside, so technically she wasn't his wife. She smiled to herself. She had a feeling, though, that by the end of this night, that would change based on the way Loki had been looking at Kiri. She was fairly certain the couple would work out their issues.

That left her eldest son, Thor. She sighed as she glanced over at him. He was currently engaged in a conversation with the guards, probably discussing what had occurred once Loki and Katirya had shown up. She knew as soon as he was done, his mind would turn once again to Jane Foster. _That_ was a definite problem. It wasn't that she did not like the woman, because she was pleasant enough, but she truly felt that Jane was not the woman for Thor. Part of it, she acknowledged, was due to the fact that Jane was a human, a mortal. Jane's life was a brief moment compared to the life Thor had yet to live. The fact that Thanos had played havoc with the mortal's mind, leaving her in a coma, compounded the issue.

"My Queen?" Sif spoke softly. "What troubles you?"

"I am no longer the Queen, Sif. Hopefully Kiri will be returned to that position. I am simply Frigga," Frigga chose to ignore the question.

Sif nodded. "I believe you are correct. I think they will resolve their differences. I am happy that Kiri was not a traitor. And…" she grinned with a sparkle in her eyes, "it means the conclusion of the endless training! I cannot believe Loki will require us to continue. He was so certain that Kiri was going to come back to attack."

Frigga laughed. "Indeed. Loki has been a bit intense of late. This should lighten his mood considerably."

"But do not forget," Hogun joined in to their conversation, "Thanos is still out there. At least as far as we know. We cannot let our guard down."

"I agree, but I think we are more than prepared," Sif responded. "We have been in training for so long, I think we are ready for just about anything."

Frigga caught sight of Hlif leaving with Kai. "If you two do not mind, I'd like to keep an eye on Kai. I know the healers are wonderful, but he is still my grandson."

"May I join you, my lady?" Sif asked.

"Of course!" Frigga agreed readily, happy to have the young woman join her. She linked her arm with Sif's and the two women left the prison to follow Hlif and Kai.

They reached the healers and entered. Eir greeted them with a smile. "I understand the King has reconciled with his wife."

"We hope that will be the case," Frigga replied with a laugh. "At least they were headed towards his chambers, and I can only hope things are worked out. If I am correct, I doubt we will see either Loki or Katirya before tomorrow night."

"Should we keep Kai here then?" Eir asked.

Frigga thought about that for a few moments before responding. "No, I do not believe that would be a good idea. Kai is still nursing and I think Kiri would worry if he were not around. She has not been separated from him for any length of time. As soon as Hlif has cleaned him up, we can take him up to their rooms."

Eir nodded. "I did take the liberty of setting up a small nursery in the King's chambers when I sent up the supplies as you requested. It is off the main bedchamber, but still close enough."

"Good thinking," Frigga praised the healer. "I think we will need to assign someone to assist in the nursery."

"Hlif has already requested to do so, my lady. She is a competent worker and is fond of the young baby already," Eir replied.

"Excellent! Then that is settled. Now…" Frigga frowned as she looked down one hallway. Thor had entered through a side door and she watched as he moved quietly to Jane Foster's room. Frigga sighed, not finishing her sentence.

Eir followed her gaze, then looked back at Frigga. "He spends every night in there."

Sif shifted uncomfortably. "If you do not mind, I think I will head back to my room."

Frigga recognized the situation at once. She knew Odin had always hoped Thor would marry Sif, and she would have happily welcomed her into their family. Unfortunately, Thor had met Jane and things had changed. She decided she needed to speak directly with Sif. "If I may walk with you?" Frigga asked.

Unable to say no, Sif simply nodded.

Frigga could see Sif wasn't happy with this plan. As they left the healers, she determined to bring up the topic at once. "Sif, I know…"

"My lady," Sif quickly interrupted. "You do not know. I have come to realize that Thor holds no feelings for me. He never has. I have come to terms with that." 

"But Sif, it still does not change anything. He will one day realize that Jane is not the best choice."

"So I am to be the second best choice? If he even were to choose me at all?" Sif countered, slightly angered. "I am sorry, but I will not have it. I have moved on."

"So easily?" Frigga spoke softly; sadness tinged her voice.

"Not exactly," Sif admitted, "but I must move forward. I cannot wait for him to decide."

"So have you found someone else then?" Frigga asked, curious to see if the lovely warrior had her eye on someone.

"No, not yet," Sif replied.

Frigga did not respond, keeping her thoughts to herself.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki's long strides brought him quickly to his chambers. A sentry saw his approach and moved to hold the door open. Loki nodded his thanks as he carried the sleeping Katirya in. He glanced down at her, wondering if she was sleeping or unconscious. Deciding it didn't really matter, he walked to his bed and gently lay her down. His eyes caught sight of a selection of items upon the table near the bed. Along with some healing lotion, it included a variety of the best wines and some food. He laughed softly to himself, knowing full well Frigga had been responsible for this. She had somehow known how things would fall out, or else had taken a calculated guess.

Picking up the healing lotion, he removed Katirya's dress, and turned her to expose the wound on her back. The bleeding had stopped, but the area was swollen. The healing lotion would be no help for the swelling. Frustrated, he lightly probed the area. He noticed that his hand had turned blue, the blue of his Jotun ancestors. Spreading fingers, he placed his hand upon the wound. He watched in utter amazement as the swelling decreased and the wound started to close. Lifting his hand, he stared as it returned to its normal coloring.

Katirya groaned. "What?" She rolled over, discovering he was inspecting his hand closely.

His gaze raked over her naked body, producing a grin on his face. "You fell asleep."

"Kai?" she asked.

"At the healers. He was in need of a change and a bath I believe."

Katirya laughed. "He can be rather stinky at times."

"That, my lady, is an understatement," he agreed, joining in her laughter.

She raised her arms up over her head to stretch, then her face took on a look of total confusion. Reaching one arm around her back, she felt the place where the wound had been. "What happened? Did the healers…?"

"No, it seems I healed it," he replied, a bemused expression on his face. He was still mystified by the way the wound had healed so quickly.

"Hmmm…" she rolled on to her side. "Any chance you could try to work on my leg?"

"Your leg?" Puzzled, he touched her hip, feeling the scar tissue built up along the joint. His fingers pressed into it and he felt the fibrous tissue begin to dissipate.

"Ah, yes, there."

"What happened?" He finally asked, after working on her hip for several minutes. He sat down on the bed next to her.

Katirya sat up and placed her leg in his lap. "And this?" She pointed to her knee.

Loki began working on her knee while she talked. She told him the full tale of what had happened.

"I believe you have found a new calling," she remarked as she finished telling the story. His hands had moved to work on her foot as she spoke. "Eir and her healers haven't been able to do this much."

"I do not understand…" he watched as she pointed her toes, stretching her leg out.

"The Stones," she grinned as she lightly tapped the tiara still nestled upon her brow. "You've been using the Stones."

"I have?" Loki stared at her, recalling the strange sensations of power he'd felt when they had been fighting.

"Yes, you have used the Mind Stone before. Why not the others?" she asked.

"But _you_ have them," he countered.

"Doesn't mean you still cannot use them if I allow it," she removed the tiara and set it upon the table, and leaned into him.

"Wait? Back when we were fighting, you _let _me use them?" Loki accused her. "Why would you do that? I thought you were trying to win."

"No, I did not _let_ you use them; you just used them. You have the ability to do so," Katirya replied. "And I was not trying to win, but trying to get you to see reason. There can be no winning or losing between us, Loki."

He pushed her back down on the bed, "I rather like that idea." He followed that with a kiss.

An hour later, he heard Katirya sigh softly as she began to untangle her legs from his and attempted to sit up. "I suppose I am going to have to marry you again," he pulled her back down.

Katirya laughed. "That would be nice," she noticed the wine and food on the table. "And so would a glass of wine."

He sat up and poured them both a glass of wine. She took a sip, then smiled at him. "I am truly sorry, I knew you would hate me, but I couldn't think of any other way."

Loki nodded, finally accepting her actions and realizing that they could not go back and change things. It was best to simply move forward. He briefly wondered if he would ever be able to fully trust her.

As if reading his mind, Katirya spoke, "I never stopped loving you. I have wanted nothing more than to simply be your wife. That means more to me than anything else. I have no passion to rule, and once I found you, I was and will be content to simply be at your side."

Her simple statement grounded him. He reflected back on all that had happened, remembering that she had relinquished her position as ruler of Cartherion to her brother. After their marriage, she had done nothing but stand quietly at his side. He leaned over and kissed her, tasting the wine upon her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down onto the bed.

Following another round of reacquainting themselves with each other, Loki raised himself up and brought up the topic that had worried him for over a year. "Thanos, will he return?"

"I do not believe I killed him. The fact that Kyrath and Hadriath both showed up is proof that he is still around."

"And Althanas came earlier with demands," Loki added. "You only have five of the Stones, right? Do you know where the sixth is?"

She shook her head in answer.

"So, if I can use the Stones, can you use them at the same time?" Loki asked, as he tousled her hair.

"I am not sure. Greiwaldt may know," she answered. "But I would hazard a guess that it is probable. I know I was using them at the same time as you."

He noticed light beginning to stream through the windows. "Would you like Kai brought up?"

"Yes, please. He is probably starving," she chuckled. "Of course, he is always hungry."

Loki eyed her with a different type of hunger.

She blushed. "Later, after he eats."

"I suppose I can wait," Loki turned to go retrieve Kai.

"You might want to put some clothes on," Katirya giggled.

With a growl, he ripped the sheet off her, wrapping it around his hips. "Satisfied?"

"It will do," she smirked.

Loki left, returning a few minutes later cradling their child in his arms. "Hlif brought him down earlier. They are set up in one of the smaller rooms."

"Excellent, although I am not accustomed to so much help with him," Katirya accepted the infant who quickly started to nurse. "Just like your father."

Loki watched the pair, a feeling of satisfaction settling on him. "He needs a brother or sister."

"I think you are doing an excellent job of working on that, my lord," Katirya teased him, then cocked her head to one side. "Although, do you think we need to make an appearance before dinner tonight?"

"I do not think we are expected until dinner. Breakfast was being sent up already. Somehow my mother figured this out."

"She is a wise woman. You were fortunate to have her for a mother."

"I wonder if she will stay or go back?" Loki mused.

"She is happy here. She dotes on Kai, and I know she was eager to return to Asgard. I was reluctant, afraid of my reception, but she continued to urge me to come back. I believe she will remain," Katirya answered as she settled Kai down between two pillows. "Now, I think you said something about breakfast?"


	17. Chapter 17: Coalescense

Chapter 17: Coalescence

_**•**____**•Frigga•**____**•**_

Frigga woke up early, heading out to the gardens for a short walk. Her three collies padded along behind her, clearly happy at her return. The morning sunlight and fresh air were pleasant, and she enjoyed tossing sticks for the dogs to retrieve. She glanced up at the palace towards Loki's chambers, a half-smile crossing her face, fairly certain she knew the outcome of their reunion. Things had been quiet all night, with no hints of any further arguments.

A frown crossed her face as she considered her eldest son next. He had most likely spent his night in the healers watching the mortal sleep. That bothered her, but she did not have a clue how to approach that issue yet.

Returning to her chambers, she dressed for the day and headed towards the breakfast room. She reached the door at the same time as Hogun. The warrior held the door open, allowing her to enter first.

"Thank you, my friend. You are up early," she offered casually.

"Indeed, however I doubt that the others will be up early. Loki sent word down that all training was to cease for the remainder of the festival. The revelry last night was rather boisterous," Hogun grinned as he explained the emptiness in the room.

Frigga looked around noting that Hogun was correct. With the exception of Volstagg, the breakfast room was empty. She wasn't surprised to see Volstagg, knowing where food was concerned he would be trusted to be there. She also was quick to notice that Loki's seat was empty, and no place setting was there. Clearly he had no intention of coming down for breakfast. The chairs at the head table had also been slightly altered, with Thor's being moved a bit further from Loki's to allow room for another chair. _Probably Kiri's,_ she surmised. Things were indeed looking good in that respect.

Magda entered the room, her smile brightening when she saw Frigga. "My lady! Good morning."

"Good morning to you, Magda," Frigga greeted the woman. She then pointed out Loki's place. "I see my son is not planning on coming down for breakfast."

Magda grinned. "Indeed. He requested his meals to be sent to his rooms, along with Kiri's food."

Frigga noted the familiarity with which Magda referred to Katirya. She found that interesting, as it told her how well received Kiri was by the citizens of Asgard. She had suspected that, but this confirmed it. "Really? I do hope he plans on attending tonight's feast at least."

Magda chuckled. "Oooh, I think they will make it down for that. But that brings me to my problem, as I need someone to double-check the menu for tonight and I did not wish to bother them."

"I will be happy to look it over," Frigga grinned, knowing that she had assisted Katirya in planning the meal, although then she had been in disguise as Trin.

Magda handed over the menu. Frigga quickly scanned it, then handed it back. "I see there has been a slight change from what we initially planned," she pointed to one of the latter courses listed. "Who requested this?"

Magda peered at the menu, noticing the change. "Ah, the sweetmeats. The King requested that when he sent down his message concerning his meals today. He indicated he had an announcement planned and felt an additional celebratory course needed to be added."

"An announcement?" Frigga smiled broadly. "That is most excellent news."

"Indeed, then if you see no other issues, I shall see to getting things in order for tonight," Magda replied.

Frigga watched as Magda walked away. She was quickly reminded of Hogun's presence when he coughed lightly. "Ah, yes. Hogun?"

"My lady?" Hogun queried.

"Have you or the others any plans for today?" Frigga asked him.

Hogun grinned. "None, given we have been relieved of any training for the remainder of the week."

"Excellent, can I call upon you and the other three to assist me today?" Frigga's eyes were twinkling. "I have an idea for tonight, if the announcement is what I believe it is."

"And what if it is not?" Hogun was quick to point out.

Frigga considered his question. It was possible that Loki had not reconciled with Katirya, but she truly doubted it. "I will visit my son to ascertain his intentions, but I expect it to be a good announcement and I would like to offer them a surprise."

Hogun grinned. "Indeed, my lady. Volstagg?" he called out to his friend.

Volstagg looked up from his breakfast. "Aye?"

"We have been called upon to assist the Lady Frigga with something for tonight. Has Fandral been down yet? Or the Lady Sif?"

"Nay, neither has been here yet. I was the first," Volstagg answered.

"And why am I not surprised by that fact?" Hogun teased him.

Volstagg's back stiffened slightly. "One day you will learn the importance of having a full belly before a battle."

"I do not anticipate any battles today," Hogun countered.

"Do not forget, there is another shape-shifter amongst us," Volstagg was quick to remind him.

Hogun sobered at that thought, and turned back to Frigga. "He is correct. We do have that shape-shifter still running loose in Asgard."

"So far, they have limited their mischief to simple things. I believe they were just trying to cause trouble, and honestly, I think it was Katirya's sister," Frigga replied.

"And if it was not her?" Volstagg had reluctantly left his seat to join them. He stared wistfully back at his plate.

"We will have to worry about them when they pop up again. Now, let us fill our bellies as you so correctly suggest. It is important to face any battle, even a small one such as preparing for a feast, with a full stomach." Frigga led them back to the table.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki sat up in his bed, Katirya sleeping with her head in his lap. He gently stroked her brow, a feeling of contentment enveloping him. He almost wished he did not have to disturb her, but lunch would soon be arriving. Eventually they would have to rejoin the others, and then there was the feast for that evening. He planned to announce his decision to reinstate Kiri as his wife. He glanced over at the small bed where their son slept, his heir. The memory of the past year was fading quickly.

They had spent hours laughing, crying, arguing, and eventually making up all over again. His anger over her actions had diminished as he came to understand everything that had happened.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Yes?" he called out, expecting it to be the servant with their lunch.

"Are you decent?"

Loki grinned, recognizing Frigga's voice at once. "No, but when has that ever stopped you, Mother?"

The door opened and Frigga entered. "It never has, but you knew that," She was followed by two servants bearing the lunch he had requested. He noted Frigga's eyes had gone directly to the bed, not bothering to see if he was anywhere else in his room. Her smile broadened when she saw Katirya sleeping.

"Have you two resolved things?" Frigga went straight to the issue, not sidestepping a thing.

"I believe we have," Loki grinned.

"Excellent. I wish she had listened to me and returned sooner, but she was afraid of your reaction," Frigga replied, then directed the servants to set the meal down and leave. "I will not stay long…"

Katirya groaned softly, beginning to stir. "Loki?" Her eyes fluttered open, and she rolled over to blink at Frigga, stretching her arms over her head, causing the sheets to slip off the bed. "Frigga? Good morning," she finally managed to say.

"More like afternoon, lazy one," Loki teased her, pulling the sheets back up.

"Afternoon?" Katirya craned her neck to peer out the window. "Oh. I guess it is. Well, it's all your fault, you kept me up half the night."

"I kept _you _up?" He punched her shoulder playfully. "More like you kept me awake. Telling me all manner of tales, then expecting…"

"I did nothing of the sort!" Katirya sat up in bed, the sheets pooling around her hips.

"Indeed, my lady," Loki stopped her talking by kissing her.

Frigga coughed discreetly, reminding them of her presence. Her eyes went to Katirya's back, noticing the absence of the stab wound.

Loki observed the direction of her stare. "It seems I have developed some new abilities, Mother."

"The Stones," Katirya explained. "He can use the Stones."

"Well, that seems to be a good use of them," Frigga replied casually, clearly curious as to what exactly he had learned to do.

Katirya stuck her one foot out, pointing and flexing it. "See?"

"No pain?" Frigga asked.

"None, it is all gone. You were right, I ought to have returned sooner, but I still do not think he would have believed me without my sister's arrival," Katirya relaxed against Loki, her nakedness not seeming to bother her.

Loki nodded. "You are probably correct. I almost did not believe you as it was. But I think we can agree we have moved on. We cannot change the past, I just hope in the future you will trust me more." He noticed the sparkle of amusement in his mother's eyes. "I suppose you are going to say something like 'I told you so'?"

Frigga laughed. "It seems I do not need to. I am simply happy you two have reconciled. It is clear that you each complete the other."

Katirya looked up into Loki's face, smiling happily. Loki nodded. "Indeed," he spoke softly as he looked into Katirya's eyes. "I intend to announce tonight that I have taken her back…"

"IF I will have you," Katirya retorted.

"_IF?" _Loki looked at her incredulously, pushing her down onto the bed. "I believe it is a little late to be saying that."

Katirya blushed, not saying anything.

"Well, I am hoping for more grandchildren," Frigga smiled.

"I'm working on that," Loki grinned back at her.

"Excellent, I shall leave you to your, um, _work,_ then," Frigga said with a wink. "I shall make sure everything is ready for tonight's feast so you two do not need to worry about it. You can just… carry on."

Katirya gasped, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it without saying anything.

Loki threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Mother, you have made Kiri speechless. I am impressed, for she has not stopped talking since we got here."

"I… I…" Katirya stammered. "I have not talked incessantly!"

"That is true, you have been quiet periodically. Like when I kiss you," Loki pressed his lips to hers.

Frigga took advantage of the distraction to slip out of the room.

Loki heard the door close behind his mother, then focused his entire attention on Katirya.


	18. Chapter 18: Conundrum

Chapter 18: Conundrum

• •_**Frigga•**__**•**_

Frigga walked down to the dining room, pleased that her youngest son appeared to be fairly well on his way to settling down and finding happiness. That left her eldest, Thor. She turned a corner, deep in thought, when she almost ran into Fandral.

"My Queen, I am so sorry. I was not watching…" Fandral began only to have Frigga cut him off mid-sentence.

"Do not be silly, Fandral. It was I who was not watching where I was going. And I am no longer the queen. That title belongs to Katirya," Frigga smiled happily.

"So, things are going well between them again?" Fandral grinned.

Frigga knew he was fond of Katirya. She had seen that from the moment they had arrived on Earth. He was not in love with her, but he would protect her. She wondered if the man would ever find someone to truly love. His reputation as a ladies man was well known throughout the realms. "I believe so," she finally responded with a laugh. "I just left them…"

"You went to visit them?" Fandral looked slightly shocked.

"Indeed," Frigga confirmed. "Now, have you seen Thor or Lady Sif? I did not see either at breakfast this morning, and I was hoping to talk to them about tonight."

"No, I have not. But then I admit that I, too, missed breakfast, being slightly preoccupied," he grinned salaciously.

"Hmmm… what was her name?" Frigga teased him, her mind once more returning to his reputation.

"A man does not kiss and tell," Fandral retorted. "But the lady did not seem to be in a complaining mood when I departed."

Frigga laughed. "Indeed? Well, that is good to know. I am heading in to eat lunch. Would you care to join me, or do you have other plans?"

"I would be delighted to join you," Fandral bowed graciously, offering his arm to Frigga so he could escort her to the dining room.

Frigga accepted his escort and walked alongside him in companionable silence. When they entered the dining room, she quickly noticed the two people she was looking for were not present, although Volstagg and Hogun were there. "Shall we join them?" She asked her Fandral.

"But of course," Fandral led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

Once they were seated, two servants quickly appeared filling their wine glasses, and asking if they had any preferences for their meal. After making a selection, Frigga picked up her wine and took a sip. "Excellent," she pronounced. "Now, have any of you seen Thor or the Lady Sif?"

Hogun and Volstagg both shook their heads, "Nay, my lady. Although with no practices scheduled for today, they each might have taken advantage of the time off to enjoy some other pursuit."

"Which means my son is most likely sitting in the healers," Frigga sighed. "I suppose I shall have to go drag him out of there…"

"Drag who out of where?" Thor's voice boomed as he entered the room.

"Thor!" Frigga grinned happily. "I was just talking about you."

"Indeed?" Thor strode across the room, pulled out a chair and sat down across from his mother. "And what were you saying?"

"That I had not seen you yet today," she replied bluntly. "I was afraid you were still in the healers."

"No, I did spend the night there, or at least what was left of it after last night's, er…'entertainment'," Thor said with a laugh. "Have any heard from my brother yet this day? I have not seen him at all, an unusual occurrence."

"I was just up visiting with him and Kiri…" Frigga started.

"You were to visit him?" Thor looked at her in complete astonishment.

"Why does everyone think that is strange? He is, after all, my son," Frigga announced. "And yes, I visited with them. I believe we can expect them tonight at the feast. He said something about an announcement." She looked quite pleased with herself as she shared the information.

"Indeed? Well, that is good. And Kiri is still with him? He has not tossed her out on her rear?" Thor asked.

"Yes, she is still up there, and quite happy with the outcome. I told her that she needed to return earlier, but she would not listen to me," Frigga said. "How are our visitors doing in their new quarters?" she asked, referring to Kyrath and Hadriath.

"They are well. I stopped in to check on them earlier this morning," Thor replied.

Their meal arrived and they ate in silence for several minutes.

Finally, Frigga broke the silence, looking across the table at Thor. "Have you seen the Lady Sif today?"

"No, Mother. I have not seen her since last night. I believe she retired to her quarters. Shall I send someone to fetch her?" Thor offered.

Frigga considered this for a minute, then shook her head. "No, I will wander by her place after I eat. It is not important."

They finished eating and rose from the table. Servants quickly moved in to clear their plates. Frigga tapped Thor on the arm. "Walk with me in the garden a few minutes."

"If it pleases you, Mother," Thor grinned at her, clearly happy to have her back around.

They exited the palace and walked into the sunlit garden. Frigga steered them towards one of her favorite spots. They reached the arbor and she laughed as she noted her dogs bounding out of the palace, heading straight for them. "I will say I am happy to see they have been well cared for."

Thor leaned down to pat one of the dogs. "They really liked Kiri. After you died, I mean left…"

"I was dead for a while, Thor. In a way, I still am," Frigga corrected him.

Thor looked puzzled. "Does this mean you are not staying?"

"I will stay as long as I am needed. I was not ready, and with your father still in an Odinsleep, even over there, I am not needed, so here I shall stay for now," Frigga explained, although even she knew the response was confusing. It was hard to explain.

They sat down on a bench, not saying anything for a long time, simply watching the dogs frolic in the grass. Finally Frigga spoke. "Thor, what are your plans now? How are you dealing with Loki being king? It was your father's intention to have you rule."

"I made a choice, Mother. I realized that to be a good ruler is more than simply being more powerful than your neighbors and enemies. There is a dark side to ruling that does not appeal to me, and Loki understood that far better than I did. It was fortunate that Loki did not die that day, and managed to survive, otherwise I would be ruling," Thor shrugged, then went on. "I am content to simply be myself. Although I wish Jane were with me."

"Do you truly love her?" Frigga probed.

Thor did not respond immediately. He sat there, staring at the ground. Frigga put a hand to his shoulder. "My son, what troubles you?"

"I cannot truly answer that question, as she is neither alive nor dead. I do not know if I love her or not. I think I do, but the way she was acting before Thanos corrupted her, or rather when he did, that changed my perspective of her, and I feel guilty that it happened," Thor poured out his concerns.

"It is not your fault that it happened…"

"Yes it is! If I had not brought her to Asgard it never would have happened!" Thor pounded his fist into the wooden bench.

"You do not know that. There were strange forces at work. Why was she chosen to find the Aether in the first place? That was the start to this entire spiral of events," Frigga pointed out.

"Funny, that is what someone said once before…" Thor paused, trying to recall who had brought that up. "Katirya! That was who said it. She said there was some connection between myself, Loki and the Stones, thus that explained why Jane was involved in this mess."

"Indeed?" Frigga considered this for a moment. "It does make sense, especially considering how things have fallen out so far. I wonder…" she paused, then went on. "I think we need to speak to Kiri. She felt she might be able to do something for Jane. If we can restore Jane, then we might be able to complete this conundrum. Your powers, the final Stone, why Jane Foster was ever involved in our affairs… these all seem to be tied together."

"Do you really think it is possible to restore Jane? Eir could do nothing for her except to keep her comfortable." Thor looked at his mother hopefully.

"I do not know. Kiri is the only one who knows that. She has been uncertain of her powers since that disaster on Niflheim, underestimating Thanos," Frigga frowned. "She needs to trust herself. Maybe now that she is reunited with Loki, she might be more willing to consider this. She is very powerful, but has always been put down."

Thor stood, offering a hand to his mother. She accepted it and rose gracefully. "We will talk to Kiri tonight. I think your brother would not welcome another intrusion this afternoon," Frigga said with a grin.

Thor laughed heartily. "Indeed. Shall we head back and prepare for tonight. Is there anything we need to oversee?"

"I believe all is ready, but let us check on the decorations one last time. I would hate to spoil this evening's feast as I feel it will be a special one," Frigga replied, with a sparkle in her eyes.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif finally straggled into her bedroom, exhausted from the evening. She was hoping that Loki and Katirya were going to reconcile, but right now all she wanted to do was sleep. Knowing that Thor was most likely heading to the healers for his nightly vigil made it worse.

Sitting on her bed, she grabbed the pillow and pounded her fist into it.

"WHY? WHY? WHY?" She shouted to no one. Right now, she wished Jane had died, or that Thor had never met her. It just was not fair. Without bothering to change, she lay upon the bed, falling asleep the instant her head hit the pillow she had just pummeled.

Sif woke up with a start. Sun was streaming in, indicating the day was half gone at the very least. She never slept this late, and she felt odd, almost lethargic. What was wrong with her?

Then it came back – the dream.

She had dreamt about murdering Jane Foster, and then marrying Loki. She recalled something about Kai, and marrying Thor, but it had all been a dream. Hadn't it? She would never marry Loki. EVER! Besides, Kiri would not allow it.

Her hands felt strangely wet. She looked down, seeing her dagger on the floor, covered in blood.

"NO!" She screamed, staring at her bloody hands. She looked for a wound, but knew she would find none.

Had she murdered Jane? Was that why she felt so strange? Had she gone there before falling asleep? Panic hit her. She _had_ to go see if Jane still lived. She started towards the door only to stop. She couldn't go out looking like this. There was blood all over her arms and hands. She moved to a basin, washing the blood off. Seeing that the was still wet, still fresh, she knew what this meant - whatever she had done had happened recently. Had she done it in her sleep? Would anyone believe her?

Anxious to discover if Jane was alive, she hurriedly finished her ablutions, then ran out the door. So intent was she, that she did not notice the shadowy figure waiting across the street, watching her rooms.

She raced down the streets heading for the healers. She was paying little notice to her direction, when she heard her name being shouted.

"SIF!" Fandral grabbed her by the arm as she attempted to run past him.

"Let me go!" She struggled to escape. "I have to go!"

"What is the hurry? We have no practice today, therefore you are not late. Loki shall not punish you for your tardiness," Fandral laughed at her.

"You do not understand," Sif gasped.

"Then tell me," Fandral smiled at her. "It cannot be that awful that you must run as if the very devil were following you."

"I cannot. You would not believe me. I must go…" She broke free and took off once again.

Fandral simply shook his head, not bothering to chase after her. He figured she was simply in one of her moods, though as she left, he could not recall her being moody.

Sif reached the healers and burst in. The two young healers in the entrance looked up, startled to see Sif gasping for breath.

"My lady, are you injured?" one asked, stepping forward to help Sif.

Sif pushed her away. "I am fine! Leave me be." Striding past the women, she turned down one hall heading for Jane's room. Reaching the door, she hesitated.

"What are you expecting to find?" Frigga's voice came from behind her.

"How did you get here?" she asked accusingly. "Are you following me?" Sif whirled around, only to find no one there. "What is going on?"

Eir appeared at the end of the hall. "Lady Sif? I heard you had arrived. Are you in need of aid?"

"There is nothing wrong with me," Sif replied, her hand still on the doorknob.

"How may we help you then?" Eir asked as Hlif joined her.

Sif felt as if both women knew why she was there; they were staring so intently at her. "Nothing… I … I just came to pick something up. Thor asked me to get something for him that he left this morning."

"Thor left nothing behind, my lady," Hlif answered. "I was the one who cleaned the room this morning. There was nothing there."

"Oh, then he must have left it in his rooms… or somewhere. I will go tell him it isn't here," Sif struggled to think of a reason to open the door, afraid to do so with these women so close. They would see the body and know why she was here. She had murdered Jane Foster. She glanced down, noticing drops of blood on her dress. Why hadn't she changed before she left?

"You are injured," Eir's eyes had followed Sif's gaze, noticing the blood at the same time she did.

"No, it… I just cut my finger. It's fine, really," Sif backed up against the door.

"Let me check it, just in case. One never knows about minor cuts, as they can get just as bad as a battle wound," Eir reached out for Sif's hand.

"NO! Go away!" Sif screamed.

"What is going on here?" Thor's voice boomed down the hallway.

Sif looked beyond Eir and Hlif to see Thor striding down the hallway, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Nothing…" Sif began.

"The Lady Sif said she came here on your request," Hlif piped up. "She said you thought you had left something here."

Thor stared at Sif, not answering.

Sif swallowed hard, afraid that Thor would call her out on her lie.

Finally he spoke, "Yes, indeed. I did ask her to look, but then I found what I was looking for. I left it back in the Grand Hall."

Sif was grateful that he did not expose her, but she wondered why he had lied. "Wonderful, then I suppose I can go get ready for tonight then." She still did not move.

Thor moved closer to her, looking down at her puzzled. "Well, then, if you will but excuse me, I need to check on Jane…"

"No, she is fine," Sif replied with a smile she knew was not sincere.

"How would you know?" Hlif accused. "You just arrived."

"Well, you said so yourself," Sif replied.

"What is wrong with you, Sif? Move aside," Thor commanded.

Sif closed her eyes as she stepped away from the door. She held her breath as Thor opened the door. When he said nothing, she slowly opened her eyes and turned to look in. Jane was sleeping on her bed, no sign of blood anywhere.

Sif let out a sigh of relief.

"Sif?" Thor looked askance at her.

"Nothing… nothing… it was just a dream," Sif replied, and then walked out of the healers.

**Author's Note:** _Just a quick note about Sif's dream, I did not want to include the entire content of the dream in the story. You can read it in the one-shot "Wedding Day" which is posted already as a one-shot. _


	19. Chapter 19: Options

Chapter 19: Options

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki awoke, carefully getting out of the bed so as not to wake Katirya. Putting on a black shirt and pants, he sat down in a chair facing the bed. He stared at Katirya, his wife, for he could not refute the fact he had married her despite the way his actions of the past year might deny it. Tonight he would fix that.

He thought back to his feelings over the past year, wondering how one day could change all that. _Could it change everything_, he asked himself. The events of the past day had been dramatic. He suspected that nothing about Katirya would be anything less for she was a multidimensional person. He sighed softly as he considered that. Life would never be dull with her around.

His first reaction, when he had discovered she had been here, hiding, had been anger. It had taken that intense fight for him to realize she was not working against him.

Trust. Could he ever trust her? He stared at her, realizing the difference between her and the other women he had been with before her. She asked for nothing in return, simply giving. He corrected his thought, because she did ask for one thing – his trust. Sighing heavily, he rose and headed out of the room.

Entering the main room of his chambers, he saw servants bustling about cleaning. The instant they became aware of his presence, they bowed low in respect, the slight insolence he had experienced the past year gone. He had known they were unhappy with him ever since Katirya had not returned from Niflheim. It had been clear they had adored her the moment she had first arrived in Asgard. He could sense that her return had lifted their spirit. Obviously they were able to trust Katirya, feeling his reconciliation with her was all for the good.

_So could I trust her? _he asked himself once more.

One servant approached him. "Would you care for some tea or wine? Or a small meal, my lord?"

"Tea, please. On the balcony." The servant's voice brought him out of his reverie. He decided he needed some fresh air. The balcony was his favorite place to reflect when he had difficult decisions. He headed out, to discover his mother sitting there already. He smiled in greeting. "Mother, how long have you been waiting here?"

"Oh, only a short time. I knew you would be awake eventually," she smiled, indicating the seat next to her.

He joined her as the servant came out with the tea and two cups. Setting them down on the small table, he inquired if they wished for anything else. Mother and son both indicated nothing more was needed, so the servant returned to the main room.

"You can trust her," Frigga began.

"How did you know?" Loki looked at her.

"I know you, my son. You have always struggled to trust people. Thor and his friends were not the easiest to grow up with. They did make your life miserable at times," Frigga replied.

"Exactly. Thor was always so… so… wonderful. I could never be like him."

"And you should never have tried to. His personality is so different from yours. It was only when you finally accepted you could not be a warrior like Thor that you finally came into your own," Frigga spoke quietly, then took a sip of her tea. "This is good."

Loki tried the tea, nodding in agreement. "I am thankful I had you to help."

Frigga chuckled. "You would have survived without me. You have that quality about you. You are a survivor."

Loki glanced over towards the room where Katirya lay sleeping. Frigga waited patiently for him to speak again.

"I just do not know. I know I love her, and she is unlike any woman I have known before, but what she did…" his voice trailed off.

"She did it to ensure that you lived. She loves you, adores you with her entire being, it matters not if you are a king or a swineherd, it is simply you. She would do nothing to harm you. Kiri would rather live apart from you, knowing you still lived, than see your dead body," Frigga replied.

Loki considered his mother's words. This opportunity to talk quietly and think about the events of that day on Niflheim without any distractions was letting him see things from a different perspective. He let out a deep sigh, not realizing he had been holding his breath. The realization that he could trust her pleased him. "You are right, Mother, as always." He smiled at Frigga.

"Not always, but this time I know I am. She will bring you great happiness. She may not always be easy to live with, but trust her not to harm you in any way." Frigga set her teacup down and rose. "Now, please excuse me, I must get ready for tonight."

Loki rose with her, taking her elbow as he escorted her back into the room. "Yes, tonight." He took his leave of his mother, then returned to his bedroom.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya rolled over, sitting up with a yawn. She grimaced when she spotted her crumpled gown on the floor, noticing the bloodstain on the back. She sighed heavily.

"What was that about?" Loki asked from across the room where he was holding Kai.

"My dress. It is completely ruined. I have nothing to wear tonight," she replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that at all," Loki teased her.

She grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room at him. It fell short, landing on the ground and rolling towards him. He kicked it back towards her.

"Do not worry, I took care of that while you were sleeping." He put Kai back in his little bed, then walked to the wardrobe. Reaching in, he pulled out an emerald green confection, for that was the only way that Katirya could think of it. It was absolutely gorgeous. The bodice was made of panels of green satin and black velvet, with muted gold trim. Emerald green skirts flowed from the waistline ending in a black and gold trim around the bottom.

With a squeal of excitement, she jumped out of bed and raced across the room to look at the dress more closely. "It is absolutely stunning!" She held it up to her body, twirling around.

Loki grinned, watching her enjoyment. "And I took the liberty of ordering a bath up for you. I believe it is ready if you are?"

"A bath?" Katirya set the dress down carefully, then moved over to wrap her arms around Loki. "Are you saying I stink?" she giggled.

Loki sniffed her. "Let's just say, everyone will know what you've been up to all day if you do not take a bath."

Katirya looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, "And you had absolutely nothing to do with it, eh?"

He laughed and guided her towards the bath. Opening the door, he pushed her gently in. "I shall see you shortly. Enjoy."

Katirya entered the bathing room and saw the huge marble bathtub filled with bubbles, three servants waiting to help her. Giggling, she practically dove in. She took her time enjoying the bergamot-scented bath. Eventually, she realized she needed to get out in order to have enough time to dry her hair and dress for the evening.

She dried herself off, and grabbed the only item of clothing she saw in the room, one of Loki's robes. As she returned to the bedroom, Loki turned and started to laugh. She knew the picture she made was comical, as his robe was huge. Her arms were lost in the sleeves, and it was so long, she had to pick it up to walk without tripping. "You remembered a wondrous dress, but forgot something for me to wear after my bath," she remarked as she walked across the room.

Loki was partially dressed for the evening, having donned his leather pants already. She wrapped her arms around him, smelling the mixture of his scent with the fine leather. She sighed softly, happy with life.

"If you keep this up, we are going to miss dinner," Loki growled.

"Hmmmm…" she murmured. "Tempting, very tempting."

Kai suddenly started to fuss. Katirya picked him up and left the bedroom. She walked out to a chair on the balcony that overlooked the city. Sitting down, she started to feed him. Loki joined her, bringing two glasses of wine and some fruit for them to share. They sat in quiet silence for several minutes.

Katirya finally broke the silence. "I need to talk to Thor and Jane's friends tonight."

Loki nodded. "Before or after?"

Katirya thought about it, understanding that he meant the feast. "Probably before. I think they will need some time to consider the options. Perhaps we can ask them up here?"

"I can arrange that," Loki began, only to hear knocking on the door. He rose, and went to open the door.

Katirya took advantage of the interruption to stand up. Kai had fallen asleep after his meal, so she gently settled him into his bed. She turned to see who had come to visit.

Thor stood in the doorway. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."

Loki stepped aside, allowing his brother access to the room. "We were just talking about you."

"Indeed?" Thor looked at him curiously, then focused on Katirya. "Sister, I must say you look much better in that than my clumsy brother."

"Clumsy brother?" Loki's eyes narrowed in challenge, then he broke into laughter as he recalled his conversation with his mother earlier.

Thor grinned. "Brother, it is good to see you so happy. But why were you talking about me?"

Loki and Katirya exchanged a quick glance, then Katirya spoke. "I wish to speak to you and Jane's friends. I have some options to present to you, and feel you need time to consider them. It is in regards to Jane's condition."

"I can ask them to come up here, if you wish," Thor offered.

Katirya nodded. "That would be an excellent idea. We have at least an hour before we need to make an appearance. Do you think you can find them quickly?"

"I shall return as soon as possible," Thor replied, then left to seek out Jane's friends.

Katirya sat back down on the balcony, hearing Loki moving around the room as he continued to dress for the evening.

The servants had moved to the bedroom, cleaning and straightening the room. One came out and approached Katirya, "My lady, might I arrange your hair for tonight?" She held several ribbons of gold, green and black in one hand, and a comb in the other.

Katirya nodded, and the girl began to comb out and braid Katirya's long hair. As she worked, she weaved the ribbons into the braid, creating an elaborate hairstyle. When she finished, she held out a mirror for Katirya to inspect her work.

Loki came up behind Katirya, bending down to whisper in her ear, "I shall look forward to removing these lovely ribbons later."

His words sent a thrill of excitement down her spine. She smiled wickedly up at him. "Indeed, I am sure you will," she whispered back. Looking at the servant, she said, "It is lovely, you have done an excellent job. Thank you."

The girl bobbed a curtsy, then asked. "Do you need assistance getting dressed, my lady?"

"I shall assist her," Loki replied swiftly.

The girl nodded, a silly smile appearing on her face as she quickly departed the room.

"I suppose I ought to get dressed…" the remainder of Katirya's sentence was lost as Loki brushed his lips to hers. She moaned softly.

"Ummm, Kiri?" Darcy's voice interrupted the interlude.

Loki pressed a quick kiss to Katirya's forehead. "I will finish that later."

"I shall hold you to that," Katirya replied, then looked at Darcy. She noticed that Erik and Ian were with her. "Is Thor coming?"

"I am right here," Thor walked into the room behind Jane's friends. "As promised, I have brought them up here."

Frigga appeared behind him. "I hope you do not mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Katirya replied, glad that her friend had chosen to come. She took a deep breath, then finally spoke to the assembled group. "I have been talking with Eir since I arrived here. We have five of the Infinity Stones, but we are missing the Time Stone. I think, even without it, I might be able to help Jane."

"You can help Jane?" Darcy burst out excitedly.

Katirya smiled, "Might help; I might be able to help her."

"Kiri, you need to trust your powers," Frigga said quietly.

Katirya glanced at her, "I wish I had your confidence. After my mistakes on Niflheim, I am not certain of anything to be honest. But… I think I can do something for Jane. The Stone we are missing would be a big help, as it can alter Time, but the Reality Stone has some unique powers of its own."

"What can you do? Will Jane be returned to normal?" Thor asked, hesitation evident in his voice.

"That is why I asked for all of you to be here. I want you to think about what I am about to offer. There are no guarantees, but I can try. There are three options, and I cannot say any will work…"

"But anything, even death, has to be better than the state Jane is currently in," Erik spoke up. The others nodded, agreeing with him.

"Well, here are the choices. I can attempt to return Jane's mind. In talking with Eir, she did not think it wise to allow her to recall all that has happened to her. What Thanos did to her, if she remembers it, would destroy almost anyone," Katirya began.

"What do you mean? We know he took over her mind," Erik asked.

Katirya looked at Loki, who nodded. "He... Thanos, was not exactly pure in motives. He did not just corrupt her mind…"

"I will kill him with my bare hands!" Thor suddenly shouted, realizing what Katirya was implying. "If he so much as touched her…"

Katirya closed her eyes, nodded. "He did, though she did not know it."

"It does not matter. He shall pay dearly for that!" Thor slammed his fist into his palm.

"Eir and I both feel that it would be best if we do not bring Jane back entirely to the present. If she were to even think about what happened to her, it might destroy her," Katirya explained.

"So you _can _bring her back?" Darcy asked.

"I think so. Let me explain the options. I can try to bring her fully back, to the present, but as I just said, Eir and I do not this it wise. The second option is to bring her back, but it would have to be to a time before she ever met any of us, before you arrived on Earth that day when she hit you with her truck. She would neither remember any of what has happened, nor know any of us," Katirya's hand swept around the room including herself, Thor, Loki and Frigga in her gesture. "The final option is to simply wait until we find the Time Stone. I will warn you, that there is a possibility that the process might kill Jane, even with the Time Stone."

Everyone started to talk at once, arguing over which option was best.

"STOP!" Loki's voice commanded.

Silence descended on the room as Katirya moved to stand next to her husband. She leaned into him and he wrapped one arm around her waist.

"All four of you are her friends. I think it best if you can all agree on which is the best choice," Katirya finally broke the silence.

"Kiri felt you needed time to consider these options. There is to be no decision until morning at the very earliest. Think on it tonight, and we will sit down to discuss it over breakfast tomorrow." Loki's commanding voice offered no chance of argument.

Ian, Darcy, Erik and Thor looked at one another. Darcy was the first to nod. "I think that is a good idea. It will give us time to think about it."

Thor looked like he wanted to argue, wanting an end to Jane's condition, but Loki shook his head. "No, brother. You all need to think about it. Think carefully as it is someone's life you are making a choice for."

Katirya watched as they left, "It will be a difficult choice for them, but tonight should take their mind off the decision for a bit. Tonight, after the feast, they can debate it all they wish. Now, I suppose I must get dressed."

Loki glanced suggestively at her, "Unless you wish to be late for dinner…"


	20. Chapter 20: Thor's Choice

Chapter 20: Thor's Choice

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor waited patiently at the entrance for Loki and Katirya. The feast was about to begin and they had yet to make an appearance. He peeked in the room, and saw his mother standing in her usual place near the front, waiting for them to enter. She was talking to Fandral. As if sensing Thor's eyes upon them, they turned to look at the door. Fandral said something to Frigga, then left her side, appearing a moment later next to Thor.

"What is wrong? Has Loki changed his mind?" Fandral asked.

"I do not believe so…" Thor replied.

Loki suddenly appeared behind him. "I am right here, ready?" He nodded to the guards standing at the door, who moved quickly to open it.

"Where is Kiri?" Thor asked, not seeing the woman.

"She will be along shortly, I believe," Loki replied.

"Do you think it wise to enter without her?" Thor was concerned. He knew that the people inside were expecting to see a reunited couple, not Thor and Loki. They had seen that for the past year. Rumors had been running rampant throughout Asgard for the preceeding twenty-four hours since Katirya had _'reappeared'._ He wondered how many had been aware of her arrival before she dropped her disguise?

"Well, it will be interesting to see their reaction," Loki replied.

The two brothers entered into the Grand Hall together. Silence fell the instant they made their appearance. Many looked, peering to see if Katirya was with them. Instead, they only saw the two brothers, the same sight that had greeted them for the previous year. No one said a word.

Thor glanced at his brother. "Well, I guess that answers that question…"

Loki closed his eyes and sighed. "Indeed."

Running footsteps suddenly came from behind them. Two small hands separated the brothers, and Katirya appeared between them. Cocking her head back, she smiled up at them. "Sorry I am late."

Thor looked closely at her, noticing that several strands of hair had escaped her braids, and one was skewed slightly. The last time he had seen her, they had been perfectly done. There had obviously been a hurried attempt to repair damage, but why? Closer inspection allowed him to see more evidence of why Katirya was late as his eyes moved down to the lacings on the bodice. He threw his head back and laughed, then looked at the couple with amusement dancing in his eyes. "At least you have arrived, but you might want to straighten your lacings, dearest sister."

Katirya glanced down at her bodice, discovering the hasty dressing had caused her to miss two of the grommets. She blushed, turning her back to the audience. "Oops. Um… well…" She stammered, not offering much of an explanation as she quickly retied the lacings, then smoothed her skirts before turning back around.

"I can hazard a guess," Thor's voice was laced with laughter. "Now, if you are ready?"

The roar of applause as the three finally started walking to the front dais was deafening. Thor looked over Katirya's head at his brother, smiling. "I think they are rather pleased."

Thor caught sight of the servant who had been attending to Katirya's hair. She darted into the room seconds after they had made their entrance.

"You're awfully late," one of the servant's friends remarked.

The servant laughed. "Indeed. I was called upon to fix my lady's hair once again. It seems they got distracted."

"Distracted? Hmmm," her friend giggled. "I wonder if we can expect another addition to the royal family soon then?"

"Behave yourself!" the servant admonished her friend, but Thor could see a broad smile upon her face.

As the trio reached the front table, Frigga moved to join them.

"Where is Sif?" Thor whispered to his mother, noticing that the Warriors Three were now seated with Darcy, Erik and Ian at a table to the immediate right of the head table.

Frigga shrugged. "I have not been able to find her…" she swept a look around the room, then spotted the missing woman, standing in the back. "There she is. Back there, by the exit."

Thor followed his mother's gaze, sighting Sif. "I wonder why she does not join them?" He glanced down at the table where Darcy and the others were seated.

"I need to speak to her," Katirya spoke up. "Something is bothering her."

Thor looked back to where Sif had been standing, only to discover she had disappeared. "Now where did she go?" he mumbled. Motioning to a nearby servant, he gave him instructions to find Sif and request that she join them, when the woman in question appeared and quietly sat at the table.

The meal began, so there was no opportunity to speak with Sif. Thor proposed a toast to his brother and his wife, which was quickly followed by demands from the gathering for a kiss. Loki was quick to respond, kissing Katirya thoroughly, resulting in a thunderous roar of approval from the crowd.

The food and wine flowed freely for several hours. Periodically, Thor checked in on Sif. She was just sitting there. He was concerned, but knew that to go speak to her would draw attention to her odd behavior. As it was, she seemed to be simply watching everything. He just knew her better, knew something was wrong.

The revelry went well into the night. Eventually, Thor rose, intending to speak to Sif only to discover she had left already along with the Warriors Three. He made a mental note to remember to seek her out in the morning to talk to her, then grinned at his brother.

"Sleep well, brother," Thor snickered, knowing full well sleep was probably the last thing on Loki's mind at the moment, judging by the way he was looking at Katirya. He took his leave, heading out. He wasn't sleepy, so he opened a door and entered into an empty sitting room.

Thor sat in the room for a long time, staring out the window. Dawn was approaching. He had not allowed himself to think about Katirya's offer during the feast. Between Sif's actions and the revelry, he had managed to banish it from his mind.

Sitting alone, in the darkness of the night, the silence allowed him to turn his mind once more to the topic. Of the three choices Katirya had offered them, he knew that none were perfect, but the knowledge that Jane might live a normal life eased his heart. That had been the only reason he had been able ignore the subject, until now.

He was so deep in thought, he did not hear the couple walk into the room. It wasn't until he heard a soft laugh, that he became aware of the fact that he was no longer alone. He realized they had not seen him, sitting in the shadows. When he determined who it was, he laughed.

"Brother, do you not have a room to retire to?" Thor's voice boomed out, startling the kissing couple.

Loki's face turned, staring into the dark corner. "Thor?" He kept his arms wrapped tightly around Katirya's waist.

Katirya giggled, managing to twist slightly in order to see him. "Why are you hiding in here?"

"I am not hiding," Thor responded. "I came here to think."

Katirya's face sobered, "I see."

"No, actually, I think I finally understand," Thor replied.

Katirya looked at him, slightly puzzled, then looked up at Loki. She whispered something to her husband.

Loki nodded then released her. "I will be right back." He left the room.

Katirya crossed the room to sit beside her brother-in-law. She took Thor's hands into her own. "Tell me, then. What do you understand?"

"Nothing and everything," Thor laughed wryly. He let a sigh escape his mouth.

Loki returned, carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses. He set them down on a small table, and poured the wine.

Thor looked at the blood-red wine in the glasses, moonlight reflecting in the liquid. Removing his hands from Katirya's, he reached out and picked one up. Taking a long drink, he swallowed then looked at Katirya. "The choices. I understand you now."

"Me?"

"Yes, back on Niflheim."

"And?" Katirya prompted.

"I understand your actions, why you did what you did. It was difficult, wasn't it? Knowing that you were taking an enormous chance that Loki would never accept that you were actually lying to Thanos," Thor went on. "But I recognize now, the importance of knowing the one you love still lives, even if they are not by your side."

Katirya simply nodded. She reached for one of the glasses of wine and took a sip. Loki remained silent.

The silence stretched for several minutes before Loki broke it. "So you are willing to accept the fact that Jane will no longer know you? Might never know you?"

Thor nodded. "It is difficult, but I see that side of it, that side Kiri felt. You knew when you acted that way, there was a big chance Loki would never accept you back, didn't you?" he directed his question to Katirya.

"I did. I realize now, in retrospect, that there might have been another way to handle the situation, but in the heat of the moment, I did what I thought was best. I would rather know that Loki was alive, somewhere, even if I was not with him, than know he was dead." Katirya's voice was resolute.

"Why did you stay away so long?" Thor asked, noticing his brother stiffen slightly, as if afraid to hear the response. He wondered at that briefly.

Katirya chewed on her lower lip, then took a sip of wine before responding. "I had Kai to worry about. When Frigga came, she urged me to return here, but I was not prepared to even try to explain myself. She took me to my father's at my insistence, perhaps not the best choice, but better than remaining on Niflheim," she smiled wryly. "My father's collection disturbed me. I could not remain there, but still could not face your wrath either." She was looking up at Loki as she spoke, even though she was answering Thor's question. "My father helped me establish a safe haven on Earth. I honestly cannot say if I ever would have been ready to return had it not been for Sif. Her arrival is what made me come back. Frigga had been trying to get me to come back sooner, but I kept saying I wasn't ready. I did not know if I could ever make you understand…"

Loki knelt down in front of her, taking the glass of wine from her hand and setting it on the table. He took both of her hands in his, and brought them up to his heart. "I am glad that you did. It has been difficult, getting past what I felt was your betrayal, but like my brother, I understand your motives. I only hope we have both learned from this that we must trust one another fully."

Katirya closed her eyes, placing her head on their clasped hands.

Loki bent his head, resting his chin lightly on top of her head. He looked over to his brother. "Shall we assemble the others, to discuss the options?"

Thor shook his head. "No, let them sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough." 


	21. Chapter 21: Double Trouble

Chapter 21: Double Trouble

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif had struggled to remain composed throughout the feast. The dream, no… nightmare, had disturbed her. She had seen that Jane was alive, unharmed, but it left her with too many unanswered questions. Where had the blood on her dagger come from? She had racked her mind, trying to think, but no explanation that she could think of made sense.

She had sat quietly, watching everyone. A feeling of satisfaction as she watched Loki and Katirya came over her. She was glad that she had been right, that Katirya had not betrayed Loki. Seeing them together sent a pang of longing through her. Frigga had been too close to the truth when she had spoken to her earlier. She still had feelings, strong feelings for Thor.

Unfortunately, Thor did not return them. He only had eyes for Jane Foster.

She left the feast as soon as she could. No one seemed to notice her leaving; they were too intent on the celebrations. She walked down the deserted streets, uncertain where to go. Eventually she found herself outside the healers. The door opened and Eir walked out.

"Lady Sif?" Eir asked, clearly surprised to see her standing there. "Is there something you need? I would have thought you would be up at the feast."

"I just left. I am… " Sif stammered, unable to finish.

"My lady, you have been acting strangely today. Why don't you come inside and we can check you over," Eir offered.

"No, I am fine. It was just a dream I had. It disturbed me more than I realized. I am sorry to have troubled you," Sif turned and left.

She walked down the street rapidly, trying to get as far away from the building where her rival for Thor's affections lay in a coma.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya woke, feeling Loki's body wrapped around hers. She sighed happily. "Twins," she said succinctly.

Loki's eyes flew open. "What?"

"Twins, our next children will be twins," she replied with an impish grin on her face.

"Are you…?" His gaze raked down to her belly.

"No, at least, I do not think so, but maybe," she replied. "But no matter, I do know that our next children will be a set of twins. A boy and a girl."

"A girl?" Loki smiled. "A little girl? How do you know?"

Katirya shrugged. "I just do."

Loki frowned, then slowly sat up

Katirya moaned as she felt the warmth of his body leaving her space. "Where are you going?"

"It _is_ morning. We do need to get up, make an appearance. We cannot stay in here for the rest of our lives," Loki pointed out. "Besides, I am hungry."

"How can you be hungry after last night's feast?" Katirya laughed lightly. She had observed him trying every single dish placed before him.

"I think it was the… um… _dessert_, that I partook of much later that is the reason for my sudden need to eat again." He wrapped a robe around his body, then padded softly to the door. Opening it slightly, he motioned to the servants to approach.

Katirya heard him quietly ordering a breakfast to be brought to their rooms, and then he told the servant notify Thor and the others that they would meet at noon. She wondered what time it was, then noticed that the sun was well up in the sky. Dawn had long since come and gone.

She stretched her arms and rolled over. Searching around the bed, she found nothing to wear. What happened to the dress she had worn last night?

"You left it out on the balcony," Loki answered her question.

She blinked, knowing she had not spoken aloud, then laughed as she remembered how the dress had ended up out there. "I do hope it is not ruined. It is such a lovely dress."

"I will get you another if it is, but I am fairly certain someone has brought it in and hung it up somewhere. However, it might be a bit too formal for day wear," he replied.

"True, but unless someone has sent my clothes up from Sif's, I have nothing to wear."

"I honestly do not mind that…" Loki began, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Wait, I thought you were the one who said we had to get up…" she pretended to glare at him.

"No, I only said I was hungry for breakfast," he growled back at her.

An hour later, fully dressed, he finally entered the outer room. Breakfast was waiting for him, and he caught the knowing smiles on the servants. He chuckled softly to himself, knowing privacy was not something he would ever enjoy again. Then his eyes landed on the pile of clothing - Katirya's clothing that had been at Sif's. He vaguely wondered what all they had overheard, but obviously Kiri's lack of clothing had been one thing.

Pointing to the clothes, "The Queen might have need of some of those."

Two of the woman picked up the pile, while a third threw open the door. They disappeared into the room, returning a few minutes later smiling broadly.

"Congratulations, my lord," one finally spoke.

He blinked. Hadn't she said she wasn't sure?

Katirya appeared, sitting down across from him.

"I thought you said you weren't sure," he said, raising the topic of twins immediately.

"I wasn't, but…"

Frigga entered the room. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder if you two would ever get up." She sat down at the table with them. A servant brought three plates of food, setting them down on the table.

"Kiri has decided our next children will actually be twins," Loki announced.

"Twins? How exciting, already?" Frigga looked closely at Katirya, scrutinizing her.

Katirya nodded. "I think so…"

"She says she is not sure," Loki added.

"But you know you'll have twins? Then it must be so! I am so excited!" Frigga clapped her hands together. "Now that it is settled, let us eat."

Katirya looked from Frigga to Loki then back again. Shaking her head, "You definitely take after your mother. The only one missing is Volstagg. He never misses a meal."

The door burst open as she finished, admitting Thor. The very man Katirya had just mentioned followed him closely.

"We were just speaking of you," Katirya nodded to Volstagg.

"No, we were discussing the fact…" Frigga began.

Katirya cut her off as she finished the sentence. "…that it was odd that food was being served and Volstagg was noticeably absent."

Loki started to laugh. Thor looked at his brother, completely confused.

"Do not ask, brother. I am not about to explain," Loki gestured to the empty chairs at the table. "Have a seat and join us."

"Marriage clearly is good for you, Loki," Thor said as he sat down. Two more plates of food were brought out for the new arrivals. Thor dug his fork into the pile of pancakes. "I have not seen you this happy since we were young children."

"Indeed. Oh, we are having twins next, thought you might like to know," Loki spoke nonchalantly.

Thor practically spit out his food. "What? Twins? But Kiri has only been back for a day!"

Frigga burst out laughing. "I do hope you are correct, for the news will be spread about the realm within an hour." She looked pointedly at the servants in the room. All were standing staring at the party at the table.

"Our next children will be twins, but I am just not certain if I am indeed pregnant yet. As you point out, brother dearest, I have only been back one day," Katirya rolled her eyes as she spoke.

"So how do you know this?" Thor asked, perplexed.

"I just do," Katirya pronounced, then returned to her breakfast. "Now, that is settled. No more talk of twins until I know I am indeed pregnant." She looked at the servants. "Understood? Not a word until I say so."

The servants nodded vigorously.

"But…" Loki prompted. "You did say that you thought you might be." He looked at the plate she had in front of her. It had been overflowing with food when it had first been set down, but was now completely empty. "And it looks like you are eating for three…"

Everyone but Katirya laughed as they noticed the empty plate. She simply looked at one of the servants and asked. "In that case, may I have another?"

A servant quickly refilled her plate and the others watched as she tucked away the food.

"There is one way to find out for certain. Let us speak with Eir," Katirya finally said. "AFTER I finish eating."

Following breakfast, Katirya led the way towards the healers. "I think you are all crazy, but if it will make you happy to know for certain…" she muttered as she walked.

"Well, it would be nice to know," Loki said eagerly. He was carrying Kai as they walked.

"And it would be a reason for another celebration!" Volstagg chimed in.

Everyone laughed at his comment, knowing the prospect of another feast was at the heart of Volstagg's comment.

When they entered the building, Eir emerged from the back rooms almost immediately. Katirya wondered if she had been waiting for them. Eir smiled broadly as soon as she saw them.

"I hear congratulations might be in order, my lady," Eir spoke once they were all in the room. Hlif entered and walked directly up to Loki. He handed his son over to her for the moment.

"I shall see to his needs, my king," Hlif spoke quietly.

"Thank you," Loki said, then looked to Eir. "You know already? So much for the servants promising to remain silent."

"News such as this is grand for the city. New life is always cause for a celebration. Now, my lady, if you will just come with me," Eir directed Katirya back towards one of the rooms.

"Loki, you had a part in this, so you had best come with me," Katirya said jokingly.

They were gone for several minutes, before Loki returned. "She was correct. Twins it is!" His pronouncement was greeted with cries of joy and congratulation from the others.

Thor clapped Loki's shoulders, "Brother, you amaze me every day! I would never have imagined you as a father."

Loki looked askance at him. "Was I that bad?"

Katirya finally reappeared to be greeted with cheers of congratulations.

Eir followed in her wake. "I would be remiss if I did not mention this, but we had an odd visitor last night. Sif was back here again, last night. She keeps talking about a dream," the healer said quietly. "I am worried about her and she refused to come in and allow me to check on her."

The mood of the group altered subtly at the news. Katirya finally spoke up. "I, too, am concerned about Lady Sif. She has been acting rather odd since yesterday. Perhaps the news of the twins will help! Let us go find her and be the first to tell her, before it gets all over Asgard."

"I fear you are too late for that, my lady," Eir grinned.

"Well, maybe she hasn't heard it yet," Katirya replied. "Now, may we leave Kai here for a short time whilst we seek out Sif?"

"Hlif will take care of him. She adores him almost as much as you do, my lady," Eir replied.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Hogun turned a corner and practically ran into Sif. "Sif! What are you doing here? I would have thought you would be up with Kiri."

"Why would I be with Kiri?" Sif looked at him strangely. "She has Loki now."

"You haven't heard the news?" Hogun asked her.

"What news?" Sif asked.

"Kiri is pregnant again. It is all over Asgard. I think I heard they are expecting twins this time, but I am not certain of that. I was in the process of trying to track them down to find out for sure, although my source assures me it is true. Care to join me?"

"Twins?" Sif's face brightened at the news. "That is indeed wonderful. Who is your source?"

"My servant, and we all know how accurate the servants' gossip is," Hogun chuckled. "They seem to know more than we do about everything."

Sif laughed. "Well, indeed it must be true then."

"And of course with the celebrations still ongoing, this will add even more excitement. I wonder if they will announce it tonight?" Hogun speculated.

"If they do, perhaps we ought to give them a gift?" Sif considered this. She knew there had been no chance when the announcement about Kai had occurred. Things had been intense.

"That is an excellent idea! Let us go find something together," Hogun offered.

Sif considered it, then nodded. "Yes, it might do me some good to do some shopping."

"I have never known a woman who did not enjoy shopping," Fandral's voice popped in from behind them. "May I join you? I believe Volstagg was with the happy couple this morning, so we shall perhaps include him in our gift? If I may also join in with you, that is?" 

"Indeed you may, and it is an excellent idea to offer a gift from the four of us. And if Volstagg were left to his own devices to select an appropriate gift, we can be sure it would involve food," Hogun added with a chuckle as the three friends headed towards the shops.


	22. Chapter 22: Prelude to Insanity

Chapter 22: Prelude to Insanity

• • _**Fandral•**____**•**_

Fandral awoke, realizing once again, he was not in his rooms. These celebrations were giving him many opportunities to sample the variety of ladies available in Asgard. He knew many hoped he would eventually pick one and settle down, but at the moment, he was enjoying life far too much for that.

The thought of settling down brought his mind to Loki. He had known Loki all his life, and the Loki he was seeing now truly surprised him. He knew Thor had always thought highly of his brother, even though he was not a warrior. Loki was a thinker, and a master of sorcery, at least Fandral had always considered him a master. That all changed when Katirya had arrived. Now there was a master!

From what he had observed, Kiri's powers seemed to be increasing, and since her marriage to Loki, it was clear that Loki had become more powerful as well. He wondered how much the Infinity Stones had to do with it, but decided it wasn't his position to worry over these facts or details. Kiri and Loki were the rulers of Asgard, and he was there to help as best he could.

He had to admit to himself, though, that he was a bit envious of Loki. The fact that Loki had married had surprised him. He did not seem to be the type to share his emotions with anyone, yet he had married Katirya. Now that Kiri had returned, things were going along rather smoothly, as evidenced by last night's celebrations announcing the fact that the couple were expecting twins. The news had been well received as Kiri was wildly popular with the people.

He heard giggling coming from the other room, and rolled over trying to recall who he had come home with. Then he saw two dresses on the ground and winced as he realized where he was. The Dalgaard sisters were infamous for their sexual exploits. How had he allowed himself to be lured to their lair? More importantly, how was he going to extricate himself from here?

Maybe it was time to think about settling down. He thought about Katirya again, realizing she would have made an excellent choice. Her powers and beauty were the attraction, he knew that, but she had chosen Loki. Sif was still smitten with Thor, but he wondered if she might be convinced to look elsewhere. Then he dismissed that thought. She was his friend, so he could never consider her. So who else was there? Definitely not the Dalgaards!

The objects of his thoughts suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Good morning, Fandral," they spoke in unison.

He lay back in the bed with a groan, trying to hide his dismay. "Good morning, ladies. I… um, need to get dressed…"

"Oh, but we had plans!" The two women jumped on the bed next to him.

Fandral rolled over to escape them, falling out of the bed. "Seriously, I have to get back to…"

"But you said there was no training this week," one of them whined as she peered over the edge of the bed at him.

He wasn't sure which one had spoken; he never had been able to tell them apart and honestly did not want to. Pushing himself upright, he pasted a smile on his face. "Really, I do need to go. I promised Sif and Hogun we would practice today."

"No! Say you are busy!" again, they replied in unison.

He wondered briefly if they ever did anything independently, then dismissed the thought, not wanting to know any more about them than he already did. He reached out and grabbed his pants, pulling them on quickly before either woman could stop him. Rising, he picked up his boots and shirt, and bowing low, backed out of the room. "Perhaps later?"

"YES! Later!" They bounced excitedly on the bed.

He made his escape, and standing in the streets, he completed dressing. A laugh behind him made him turn to discover his friend Thor watching him.

"The Dalgaards? Do tell how that happened!" Thor strode over to clap his friend on his back.

"Don't ask," Fandral groaned as he finished pulling his boots on. "Let's get out of here before they decide to follow me."

Thor laughed. "Must have been an interesting evening."

"Too much wine. I'm blaming Loki and Kiri for this one," Fandral replied.

"I was just heading up to breakfast. Would you care to join me?" Thor asked as he started walking away.

"An excellent suggestion!" Fandral fell into step with Thor as they headed towards the dining hall.

Entering, Thor spied his brother and his wife already down for the meal. "Well, what brings you two down here?" 

"Breakfast," Katirya replied, looking down at her heaped plate of food.

"She said she felt sorry for the staff, having to lug our food all the way to our chambers," Loki added. "Personally, I think she just wanted to be able to eat from the buffet."

Katirya swatted him with her napkin. "Really, Loki!"

Thor laughed at their exchange. "Oh, Fandral is blaming you for his evening's escapades."

"Me?" Loki asked in surprised.

"Indeed, seems he woke up in the Dalgaard sisters' rooms," Thor sniggered.

Loki had just taken a drink from his glass. The liquid burst out of his mouth as he tried to suppress a laugh. Dabbing lightly at it with his napkin, he looked with amusement at Fandral. "You must explain that one. How am I to blame for your choice of companions?"

"Well, if you had not announced that you and your charming wife were having twins, there would not have been a celebration, I would not have partaken of so much wine, and thus would not have accepted the dubious honor to squire the Dalgaard sisters home," Fandral explained with a flourish of his arms.

"I suppose that is a fair enough excuse. How did you manage to escape?" Loki asked.

"That was pure genius!" Fandral replied proudly. "I started to tell them…"

"Genius here was found in the street with only his pants on," Thor broke in with a grin.

Fandral sighed, realizing he wasn't going to escape their jokes. He headed over to the buffet and filled a plate. Sitting at the table, he looked across at Katirya. "My lady, you do appear in good spirits this morning." He hoped he could change the topic of conversation.

"Thank you, but who exactly are the Dalgaard sisters? Have I met them?" Katirya asked.

"No, and trust me, you do not wish to meet them," Fandral answered as Volstagg and Hogun entered.

"Meet who?" Hogun asked.

"The Dalgaard sisters. It seems Fandral spent the evening with them," Katirya responded.

"Fandral, I am shocked you allowed yourself to get entangled with those two. You ought to know better," Hogun chided his friend.

"He is blaming it on Loki and Katirya… and the wine." Thor gave a hearty laugh.

"The wine was flowing rather freely last night," Volstagg responded, "but then, when does it not at a good feast?"

Darcy, Ian and Erik appeared in the dining room. "I hope we are not too late?" Darcy asked.

"Never!" Thor replied. "Fill your plates and join us, we were just discussing Fandral's evening exploits."

Fandral simply groaned.

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif woke up, soaked in sweat. The recurring dream was still vivid in her mind. She sat up in bed, discovering she was fully clothed once again. How had that happened? She was certain she had changed last night.

Slowly, she looked at her hands. Blood coated both hands and her arms up to her elbows. Vaguely she noticed not a single drop on her clothing, but her mind did not register the fact. Her eyes darted to the floor and she saw her dagger, coated once more in blood.

What had happened? Was she getting up in her sleep and attacking people? Or more specifically, Jane Foster?

She rose and washed her hands, scraping the blood off, barely noticing it had been dried and caked on her arms. Her mind was simply whirling. She was afraid to go to the healers again, to check on Jane. Eir already seemed suspicious.

Finally clean, she left her rooms and headed towards the breakfast room, certain she would hear if anything had happened in there.

Standing before the doors of the dining room, she took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to look normal. But how could she look normal when she was fairly certain she had been out and murdered someone? The fact no one had found a body from that first night was just sheer luck. Eventually someone would find it.

She finally gathered the courage and entered. Her eyes swept around the room, noting no one seemed upset. In fact, they were in a rather jovial mood, teasing Fandral from the sound of it.

"Sif!" Katirya called out from the table. "Please, help me. They refuse to enlighten me. I wish to meet someone and they are all refusing to introduce the Dalgaard sisters to me."

"The Dalgaard sisters?" Sif asked as she headed towards the buffet. Fandral noticed that she was avoiding looking at anyone, and her hands were shaking as she picked up a plate.

"Yes, the Dalgaard sisters," Katirya spoke up. "Perhaps you can tell me about them, at the very least?"

Sif paused in making her breakfast selections and turned to face Katirya. She smiled, perhaps the first smile Fandral had seen from her for two days, "I would enjoy enlightening you about them."

Sif finished selecting her breakfast just as the doors burst open and four of the prison guards burst in.

"HER! THERE!" All four shouted at once, pointing to Sif.

Sif dropped her plate as her face turned ashen white. "What? What is it?"

Thor rose at once, stepping between Sif and the guards. "What is the meaning of this? Explain yourselves!"

"She was just down in the prison; two of the prisoners are dead at her hands. She murdered them in cold blood," one of the guards replied.

"Which two?" Loki asked quietly, having moved to stand next to his brother. "And how did you allow this to happen?"

The guards appeared hesitant to answer at first.

"Speak up!" Thor demanded.

"Kyrath and Hadriath," one guard finally answered. "The Lady Sif came down to the prisons before dawn and asked to visit those two. There were no restrictions so we allowed it. Then…" he paused, clearly reluctant to continue.

"Out with it!" Loki shouted.

"She locked us up, so we could not get out. That must have been when she murdered them. It was when the morning relief arrived that we were finally released and discovered the crime," the guard spoke, his head hanging.

"So, you did not actually see Lady Sif murder these two?" Katirya finally spoke up. All eyes swiveled to her, curious to see her reaction to the death of her sister. Katirya's calm demeanor dispelled any thoughts that she might be upset.

"No, my Queen, we did not."

"So it is possible someone else could have done it, correct?" Katirya asked.

Sif couldn't stand it anymore. "NO!" her scream tore through the room. "I did it. At least, I think I did."

"What?" Thor stared at Sif, totally dumbfounded by her confession. "You murdered Kyrath and Hadriath? WHY?"

"I do not know why, I just know it must have been me…" her voice trailed off as she refused to say anymore.

Thor moved forward and grabbed Sif's arm. "There is no way you could have murdered them…"

Sif wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "Yes there is. I was covered in blood when I awoke this morning, and my dagger was bloody."

"That is not proof you did it," Thor defended her. "Let us go see the bodies. Perhaps that will explain more."

Everyone filed out of the room, heading towards the prison. They reached the prison to be stopped by the head guard. "My King, I do not believe the Queen should see this…"

Katirya pushed past him. "Away with you, I will see this through."

Katirya was the first to reach the cell that had held Kyrath and Hadriath. Blood was spattered everywhere, and the bodies were hardly recognizable as humans, having been horribly mutilated.

Sif started to weep silently as she stared on the scene. How could she _not _recall this? This was horrible.

Thor walked over to her, taking her hand he spoke softly. "You did not do this, Sif."

"I must have," Sif replied. "They saw me here."

"Sif, I have seen you in battle. While you have killed many people on the battlefield, you are not one to murder someone in cold blood," Thor said.

"But… but… they saw me," Sif stammered.

"The shape shifter!" Katirya suddenly shouted. "This is their doing. It must be!"

Sif looked at Katirya, a tiny spark of hope in her eyes. "Do you think… but then how did I get all the blood on my arms and on my dagger?"

"Once we capture them, we will find out," Loki replied. He turned to the head guard. "See that the city is secured until we find our mysterious shape shifter."

"Yes, my King," the guard replied. He was about to start giving orders when a messenger burst into the room. "My King!" he gasped, falling to his knees. "Eir sent me, there is an urgent matter…"

"JANE!" Thor shouted before the messenger could finish.

The messenger looked up at Thor and nodded, tears welling in his eyes.

"What has happened?" Thor roared, not waiting for an answer but racing out of the room towards the healers.

The others followed after Thor, trying to keep up as he ran through the city. People scattered out of their way until they finally reached the building.

The doors were wide open, and people were milling about inside the front entrance. They fell back as Thor and the others entered, giving them access to the back rooms. Thor ran directly to Jane's and stepped in.

"NO!" his voice echoed through the building.

As the others filed in behind him, they stared in disbelief at the dismembered body of Jane Foster. Blood covered the bed, dripping down onto the floor. A slip of paper rested upon what was left of the woman.

Thor picked up the paper, reading it. His face turned white as he handed the note to Loki and Katirya.

"_Missing something? I always wanted your child Loki, but you would not comply, so I took one. Besides, it sounds like you'll have another pretty soon, so I am sure you will not miss this one."_

"Kai?" Loki asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Katirya collapsed as she let out a keening wail before Eir could answer. Loki grabbed her before she hit the floor, pulling her against his body. He looked over her head at Eir, who simply nodded, confirming that their child was missing.

**Author's note: **_As I finish Redemption, I realized my "simple" story that I figured would be between 10-20 chapters has evolved into multiple stories. There are so many more tales I am finding I want to write, so I hope you will continue to follow the adventures of Loki and the others. Please, review or send me comments. I enjoy reading them and have been able to incorporate some of them into my tales. The next story "Mayhem" will continue where this one has left off, so if you want to find out what happened, join me there! _


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